Telecom
A4AI Report says Fresh Approach to Broadband Pays Off for Africa
Many countries across Africa have made policy advances to reduce the cost of broadband access, boosted by improved spectrum management and investment into infrastructure, says a new report by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI).
The advances in lowering broadband costs by African countries such as Malawi, Rwanda, Botswana and Morocco is significant, especially in light of this year’s findings by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which show that nearly half the global population aged 10 years and over has never used the internet.
The ITU adds that a “disproportionate number are women, particularly in Africa and South Asia”.
The reasons for this vary from high costs of accessing broadband, infrastructure gaps, and literacy deficiencies to limited digital exposure.
“Africa sees the biggest (broadband) policy advances,” says the A4AI in its Affordability Report 2020released this week. It uses the Affordability Drivers Index to rank countries’ infrastructure deployment, policy frameworks that encourage investment in broadband and broadband adoption rates.
Adds the report: “While Africa remains the region with the lowest average score, this year it saw the fastest improvement with (regional) countries improving planning, better spectrum management and supporting programmes to narrow the digital gender gap.”
Morocco, with a score of 71 out of 100, is the only African country in the list of top ten countries that have the highest broadband affordability scores. Senegal, Benin, Uganda, Rwanda as well as Tanzania and Mali are ranked among in the top 10 highest scoring countries among the least developed countries ranked.
Rwanda is one such African country “which has effective national broadband planning” which has “seen 1GB data fall to less than a fifth of its 2015 price, from 20.2% to 3.39% of average monthly” income.
The east African country, touted as progressive in digital development, also “made faster progress than its East African neighbours which have less robust broadband” planning.
Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the region has also made strides in digital access and policy formulation to lower affordability of broadband. 1GB of broadband in Malawi now costs between 6% and 16% of a person’s total income.
Out of a possible 100, Botswana scored 68.7, Mauritius 68.6, Nigeria 66.1, Ghana 63.4 and Tunisia 61.9. Other high ranked African countries include Senegal, South Africa, Kenya, Ivory Coast and Egypt which all scored above 50.
“Countries across Africa (rose) an average of 7% in the ADI this year. Malawi has one of the largest year-on-year score increases this year, of over six points, a reflection of its work around the consultation and adoption of its 2019-2023 national broadband strategy,” the report adds.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
MultiChoice has officially become a wholly owned subsidiary of French media company Canal+, marking the completion of one of the largest acquisitions in Africa’s media and entertainment industry.
The integration brings the South Africa-based pay television operator under the full ownership of Canal+, a global media group with operations in 70 countries.
Announcing the completion of the transaction on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice, David Mignot, described the development as the beginning of a new phase of growth for the broadcaster.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries.
“The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mignot said.
The acquisition combines Canal+’s international operations with MultiChoice’s extensive footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, where it serves millions of households through its DStv and GOtv platforms, as well as the Showmax streaming service.
According to Canal+, the integration will strengthen MultiChoice’s competitive position by giving it access to broader financial resources, technology, content partnerships and operational expertise.
The company said the combined business would increase investment in local content production, sports broadcasting and streaming services as competition intensifies from global platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The transaction is also expected to provide MultiChoice with greater access to international markets at a time when traditional pay television operators are adapting to changing consumer viewing habits and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms.
Canal+ has expanded steadily across Africa over the past decade and now assumes full control of a business operating in more than 45 African countries, further strengthening its position in the continent’s media and entertainment sector.
The acquisition followed Canal+’s gradual increase in its shareholding in MultiChoice, which began in 2024.
After exceeding the regulatory threshold, the company launched a mandatory offer in April 2024 to acquire the remaining shares of the Johannesburg-listed broadcaster.
Following regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, Canal+ secured control of MultiChoice in 2025 before completing the process that has now made the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Industry observers describe the acquisition as one of the most significant media transactions involving an African company, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation as global entertainment firms seek greater scale to compete in the streaming era.
Police Busts Syndicate Who Allegedly Stole N3Bn from Financial Institution
MTN Accelerates Network Expansion to Meet Surging Telecom Demand
Court Remands Akujobi, Ex Access over alleged Theft of N294.5m
TeKnowledge, Equinix Partner to Advance Nigerian Digital Infrastructure
NSIB Faults Runway Identification, Reveals Cockpit Disagreement in Asaba Jet Incident
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Telecom2 days agoFixed Wired Internet Market Lags as Mobile Gains Ground
News2 days agoStudy Reveals How Moniepoint is Powering Nigeria’s $11Bn Food Service Sector
Broadcasting2 days agoBON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
News1 day agoPolice Busts Syndicate Who Allegedly Stole N3Bn from Financial Institution
E-Business2 days agoNew NIMC Act Strengthens Data Protection, Privacy – Director
Telecom1 day agoDStv, GOtv Owner MultiChoice Officially Joins Canal+ Group
General News2 days agoCourt Adjourns Alleged Binance Tax Evasion Case over Settlement Talks
General News2 days agoXenophobic Attacks: OYC Threatens to Picket MTN Nigeria Offices