Africa’s ICT Infrastructure: Its Present and Prospects

This policy brief examines the current state of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in Africa, highlighting a significant deficit that hinders development. While private sector investment and 'leapfrogging' to fibre-optic systems have driven progress, the continent still lags behind global averages in internet penetration, service quality, and affordability. The document recommends strategic policy interventions to improve rural access, enhance policy capacity, and expand the technical skills base to fully realize the benefits of the digital economy.

• Africa faces a substantial ICT infrastructure deficit that impedes its development, requiring an estimated annual investment of $3 billion to address the funding gap.
• Despite growth, Africa's ICT penetration and quality remain well below global standards. In 2018, only 26.3% of Africans were internet users, compared to a global average of 51.4%. Additionally, the continent trails in download speeds, with the highest fixed broadband speed in South Africa (33.14 Mbps) and the highest mobile speed in Morocco (30.88 Mbps) both falling behind global averages.
• Affordability is a critical barrier to ICT adoption. Only 10 of the 45 African countries tracked by the Alliance for Affordable Internet meet the standard where 1 GB of data costs 2% or less of the average monthly income; the average cost across Africa is 7.1%.
• The private sector is the primary driver of ICT financing. In 2018, the private sector contributed $4.8 billion of the $7.1 billion total committed to ICT investments, significantly more than the $1.1 billion provided by African governments.
• China has become a major player in African ICT infrastructure through its 'Digital Silk Road' initiative under the Belt and Road program, with firms like Huawei providing platforms for services such as M-Pesa and investing in African startups like Palmpay and Lori Systems.
• Rwanda is cited as a successful example of state-led ICT investment, having developed a backbone fibre network and a Wholesale Open Access Network 4G LTE system through a public-private partnership with Korea Telecom (KT).
• To improve future prospects, the document recommends prioritizing the expansion of ICT into rural areas by incentivizing local SME-style operators, upgrading national policy capacities to ensure predictable conditions for the private sector, and expanding the skills base for installation and maintenance.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2020). Africa’s ICT Infrastructure: Its Present and Prospects. https://saiia.org.za/research/africas-ict-infrastructure-its-present-and-prospects/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Africa’s ICT Infrastructure: Its Present and Prospects. 2020. https://saiia.org.za/research/africas-ict-infrastructure-its-present-and-prospects/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Africa’s ICT Infrastructure: Its Present and Prospects |date=26 June 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/africas-ict-infrastructure-its-present-and-prospects/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2020africas, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Africa’s ICT Infrastructure: Its Present and Prospects}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/africas-ict-infrastructure-its-present-and-prospects/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }