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Microsoft
in Africa
We believe there is a direct correlation between Africa’s sustainable prosperity and its ongoing digital
transformation. In the three decades since Microsoft entered the African continent, the company has
invested in the technology ecosystem, including in cloud infrastructure, development centers, skilling,
and capacity building. These factors, along with government policies to facilitate innovation, catalyze
a thriving digital economy by leveraging trustworthy and inclusive technology.
Following a period of recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the continent is now on the path
to recovery. Today, there is a unique opportunity to drive economic development and prosperity
across the continent: Africa has the youngest population of any continent; mobile internet penetration
is on the rise; and the pandemic has driven an acceleration in the adoption of technology by
governments and firms seeking continuity.
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Broadband Infrastructure and Connectivity
Despite significant progress made over the last decade to develop information and communications
technology (ICT) infrastructure, internet accessibility and usability in Africa is lower relative to other
parts of the world. Nearly 300 million Africans live more than 50 km away from fiber or cable
broadband.1 Furthermore, the Alliance for Affordable Internet reports that of the 48 African countries
it tracks, only 14 meet its standard for “affordable internet” (designated as 1 GB of mobile prepaid
broadband costing 2 percent or less than the average monthly income).2 In 2019, the African Union
mapped out a strategy to digitally connect every individual, business, and government in Africa by
2030.3 The goal is to bring high-speed connectivity to everyone on the continent, including those who
make up the last mile, and lay the foundations for a vibrant digital economy. Connecting the
unconnected requires rolling out innovative and alternative solutions such as Wi-Fi, satellites, and
hotspots to reach the nearly 100 million people that live in remote areas currently out of reach of
traditional mobile networks.4
Continued investment in developing ICT infrastructure across the continent, including its reach to rural
communities and those in lower income groups, will be an important pillar for establishing Africa’s
growing data-driven economy. A crucial starting point is to take a technology-agnostic approach that
would lower cost without sacrificing utility. The technology investments needed to achieve
connectivity must incorporate the most cost-efficient technologies and consider alternative
approaches when necessary.
1 OECD/ACET. Quality Infrastructure in 21st Century Africa: Prioritising, Accelerating and Scaling up in the Context of PIDA (2021-30),
2020
. https://www.oecd.org/dev/Africa-Quality-infrastructure-21st-century.pdf
2 Alliance for Affordable Internet. Africa Regional Snapsho
t: Affordability Report 2020. 3 Broadband Commission Working Group on Broadband for Al (prepared by the African Union, World Bank Group, UNESCO, et al).
Connecting Africa Through Broadband: A strategy for doubling connectivity by 2021 and reaching universal access by 2030, October
2019
. https://broadbandcommission.org/Documents/working-groups/DigitalMoonshotforAfrica_Report.pdf
4 Ibid
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Microsoft’s contributions
Microsoft is contributing to these efforts through its Airband Initiative which aligns with the
company’s mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
The Airband Initiative adopts a human-centered and technology-agnostic approach to defining and
advancing technology. It focuses on people’s ability to afford, adopt, and use technology rather than
on the deployment of technology irrespective of its equitable adoption and use.
Microsoft launched the Airband Initiative5 in 2017 to eliminate the broadband gap in rural areas.
Through the Airband Initiative, we partner with internet and energy access providers, telecom
equipment makers, nonprofits, and local entrepreneurs to advance digital equity—access to
affordable internet, affordable devices, and digital skills—as a platform for empowerment and digital
transformation across the world. By July 2022, Microsoft Airband partners are projected to extend
internet connectivity to at least 40 million unserved people.6
Microsoft’s strategy in Africa typically involves partnerships with local internet providers to catalyze
the creation of a “digital equity platform”. This includes access to broadband, skilling and in some
cases, the provision of devices. Once this platform is in place, Microsoft convenes additional public-
private partnerships to deliver digitally transformative solutions in various sectors, such as education,
agriculture, rural enterprise, and health. These platforms focus on improving the productivity and the
livelihood of local community members, building more sustainable and resilient communities, and
fostering inclusive development. Microsoft currently has 16 active projects in Africa covering 4 million
people. The company expects to reach 6.5 million Africans by July 2022. Key partnerships include:
• In August 2020,
Microsoft Airband launched a public-private partnership with the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) to bring internet access to more women
around the world, expanding women’s economic opportunities and enabling digital
development services. Projects are being deployed with six participating Airband partners
across the globe, including Mawingu and M-KOPA in Kenya.7
•
In Ghana, as part of the Airband Initiative, Microsoft partnered with government officials to
ensure strong regulations were in place so that TV white spaces and other technologies could
be used to extend networks quickly in unserved, predominantly rural areas. Regulations in
Ghana now permit affordable broadband access to over 800,000 previously underserved
people living in the rural eastern part of the country.8
•
In Kenya, Microsoft Airband leveraged TV white spaces to bring internet access to the city of
Nanyuki, a market town nearly 200 km from Nairobi. The technology reduced average
household spend on internet access by nearly 15 percent. Access to the internet has also
enabled students at local schools to improve their scores on the Kenya National Exam.9
5 Microsoft Airband
. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/airband
6 Microsoft On the Issues. “The path to prosperity through access to high-speed internet,” October 7, 2019.
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2019/10/07/the-path-to-prosperity-through-access-to-high-speed-internet/
7 United States Agency for International Development. USAID/Microsoft Airband Initiative Factsheet, June 3, 2021.
https://www.usaid.gov/digital-development/usaid-microsoft-airband-initiative
8 Microsoft On the Issues. “The path to prosperity through access to high-speed internet,” October 7, 2019.
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2019/10/07/the-path-to-prosperity-through-access-to-high-speed-internet
9 Microsoft 4Afrika. “Mawingu: Connecting the Unconnected
.” https://www.microsoft.com/africa/4afrika/mawingu.aspx
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•
Microsoft 4Afrika ran TV white spaces pilots in other countries across Africa, including
Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania. Namibia is home to the largest TV white
spaces pilot, connecting 28 schools and 24,000 students. In Botswana, three hospitals and five
clinics are bringing specialized telemedicine services to more than 3,000 patients. Many of
these patients are women receiving access to maternal care for the first time.
Our Aim
Today, we continue to invest in Africa, working alongside start-ups, partners, small-to-medium
enterprises, governments and youth, with a focus on delivering affordable access to the internet,
developing skilled workforces and investing in local technology solutions.
Closing the digital divide once and for all requires the engagement of companies like Microsoft, but
importantly, the financial support of international financing organizations around the world. Internet
connectivity and technology infrastructure has made up a very small percentage of development bank
funding historically, and that will need to change to bring connectivity to the more than three billion
people around the globe who lack access to some form of internet connection.
Through Microsoft’s work and engagement, the goal is not just to connect people, but provide a
blueprint for other public and private sector entities to think about connectivity as a core part of their
investments in health, gender equity, water, energy or any other core area of sustainable development.
In addition to connectivity Microsoft is engaged in areas across the technology ecosystem, including in
cloud infrastructure, research and development centers, skilling, and capacity building, and we welcome
the opportunity to provide you with additional details in the coming period.