Internet Governance  Forums present independent  and voluntary spaces where issues that impact the development of the Internet can be thoroughly  discussed  by  a  broad  range  of  stakeholders. IGFs also present opportunities for stakeholders to either begin or continue the process of developing realistic and realisable solutions to these issues.

You may recall a statement made in 1995 that said “…that there (were) more telephone lines in Manhattan, New York, than in (the whole of) sub-Saharan Africa"¹.Now, fifteen years later, a much different statement can be made thanks to the mobile cellular revolution. Mobile subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa are forecasted to exceed 635 million by the end of this year (2014) and predicted to rise to around 930 million by the end of 2019². Such growth means that Africa is rapidly closing in on the global mobile penetration rate,  which  was around  92  percent  at  the  end  of  2013,  compared  to around 70 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The  steep  increase  in  mobile  usage  in  Africa  is  driven  by  a  number  of  factors,  in particular the additional ways in which mobile phones are used.  Beyond conducting voice  conversations, mobile  phones  are  often  the  preferred  channel for  receiving data and for conducting transactions – our phones are our cameras, wallets, shops, music (playback) systems, movie screens, information or service centres etc. The  increase  in  the  number  of  mobile  subscribers  has  fuelled  increases in  mobile internet use in Africa and we are considered to be at the cusp of a mobile internet  revolution.

Predictions are that mobile internet use in Africa will increase twenty fold in the next five years …this is double the estimated growth rate in the rest of the world.³ Lower priced devices (in particular smartphones and tablets), increase investment  in  network  infrastructure, and  increase availability  of spectrum  for mobile broadband, are among the factors that will drive this growth.      

Africa has also seen improvements in the deployment of other technologies. For example the number of undersea fibre-optic cables landing in Africa has increased from about 2 active cables in 2001 to around 16 by the end of this year.
          
Satellite coverage is also improving with international, predominantly private-sector companies deploying more capacity over Africa. On July  10, O3b confirmed  the successful launch  of its  second  batch  of four satellites. African projects  are also adding to improving satellite connectivity: for example  the Regional  African  Satellite Communications  Organisation (RASCOM)  launched  its satellite, RASCOM-QAF1R in August 2010; and the launch of Nigeria’s NigComSat-1R took place in December 2011.

This improving scenario is encouraging as a more connected Africa is a stronger Africa. For example when we consider the  history of economic  growth  of  Africa, and the reality  that  forecasted growth  of  about 5 percent  over  the  next 3 years⁴ is predicated  on the progress registered by only a handful of countries;it becomes necessary for us to  seriously consider the economic opportunities the Internet presents and position ourselves to take advantage of such opportunities.

One report that highlights this potential (and which will be discussed in one of the sessions  at  this Africa IGF)  predicts that  the  Internet  can  contribute  up  to  300 billion United States dollars to Africa’s GDP by 2025; and this is from an estimated 18 billion in 2013.⁵

For a region that lags behind the world in almost every economic indicator, this translates directly to opportunities to generate income, to create wealth, to create jobs, new business opportunities, economic expansion etc...the very opportunities African governments are looking for and need to transform their economies and the economic lives of their populations.

The  internet, and  the connectivity network that it is a part of,  also  presents opportunities for improving the social welfare of Africa and Africans. Focus  on  the  Millennium  Development  Goals,  particularly  as  the  deadline  of  2015 approaches, highlights  both  the  progress  that  Africa  has  made  in  improving  the development  of  its  people  as  well as the  persistent  and at  times  widening  divide that exists between it and the rest of the World. For example in the area of health, globally infant  mortality  has reduced  significantly  over  the  past  decade  and  the global  rate of decline  has  accelerated  in  recent  years. However  most  deaths  of children  under  the  age  of 5 now occur in developing  countries  and  about  half  of these deaths occur in Africa.

How is the internet relevant to this and other such examples?  By being a catalyst that can expand the scope, and increases the scale of developmental outcomes. Many examples of this catalytic role exists, in Nigeria one such example is the Ondo State Abiye programme -- an initiative  that  links  up (i) pregnant  mothers  and infants up to age 5 with (ii) health centres or clinics near them and (iii) the Mother and  Child  Hospital (MCH) in  Akure,  the State capital.Key to these linkages is the availability and use of ICTs between patients, health works and health specialists. 

The  impact has  been  better  maternal and infant healthcare, safer deliveries and reductions in maternal and infant mortality.  Notable achievements for a State that was  ranked  by  the  World  Bank  in  2008  as  having  the  highest  maternal deaths  in South West Nigeria.

Examples of this catalytic effect can also be seen in the area of finance where the internet  and  related  technologies  are  helping  to reduce  the  exclusion  of  vast segments  of African  populations  from  (formal) financial  services  and products. 

Their impact can also be seen in the area of education where such technologies are helping  to  expand  learning  and  increase  the  reach  of  teachers  and  the  classroom beyond  the  reach  of  physical  facilities.They can  catalyse  improvements  in  the delivery and quality of public services; in improving governance and accountability; in increasing  the  security, safety  of  the  population  as  well  as  in  our  response  to emergencies and disasters. 

Africa, more  than  any  other  region  of  the  world,  has  the  most  to  gain  from  the internet and as such must immerse itself in discussions on how it will develop and function  in  the  future. As  a  region  we  need  to  have  a  better understanding  of global  trends  and  of  how  they  are  shaping  the  adoption  of  the  internet in Africa.  We  need to  identify  and  communicate  the  uniqueness  of  our  environment  and ensure  that  they  are  considered  and  are  reflected  in  decisions  that  are  taken  at global levels.  

There have been few key moments that define the development of the internet and I am sure most of you in the room will agree with me that we are at the threshold of one of such moments. The  World  may soon  be taking decisions  on  how  the critical  resources  of  the  internet  will  be  managed  and  on  how  the  internet  will  in future  be  governed;  Africa must play  an  active role  in  these  decisions and in  the discussions leading up to them.

By Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson
The Honourable Minister for Communication Technology,
Federal Republic of Nigeria

References

1 Statement is attributed to President Thabo Mbeki (when he was then Deputy President of South Africa) Reuters, “Third World Wonders About Information Highway,” 28 February 1995

2 Ericsson, “Mobile Mobility Report Annex: Sub-Saharan Africa,” June 2014 http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2014/emr-june2014-regional-appendices-ssa.pdf

3 Ericsson, “Mobile Mobility Report Annex: Sub-Saharan Africa,” June 2014 http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2014/emr-june2014-regional-appendices-ssa.pdf

4 World Bank, “Global Economic Prospects,” June 2014 http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/global-economic-prospects
 
5 McKinsey, “Lions go digital: The internet’s transformative potential in Africa,” November 2013