For decades now, the world has enjoyed revolution in various ways due to the impact of technology.
Even as tech discoveries have been explored and tremendously integrated into everyday life, there is still low participation and/or use of some tech innovations in Africa.
One yardstick to measure participation in the tech ecosystem is internet user penetration. Internet user penetration is the number of users that utilize internet services in comparison with the total population in a country.
Morocco has the highest internet user penetration of 84.1% among other African countries when compared with its total population of about 36.40 million citizens, whereas Nigeria leads with the largest number of internet users in Africa, constituting 51% (110 million) of the population which is over 200 million people, as at 2022.
This implies a relatively low tech participation among Nigerians and Africans as a whole. One reason for the low participation in tech may be the low level of internet literacy of some senior citizens, especially in rural settlements where internet connection may be limited.
Moreover, there is a speculation that the average Nigerian does not have enough data to attend virtual meetings for two days, which stems to point out how many Africans, especially Nigerians, can afford steady data connection without undergoing financial stress?
At the national level, individual tech participation in Africa is strongly related to the nation’s tech capacity. Generally, the major reason for Africa’s low-tech capacity is the enacting and enforcing of outdated and unfavourable policies which are counterproductive to technological development.
Most policymakers in Africa lack the technical knowledge and understanding of how tech can be explored to serve as part of the government policy process towards building a smart system for Africans. The use of technology surpasses merely making voice calls and traditional social media engagements, it is the strategic and skillful use of tech innovations to improve life and the society in its different sectors.
The success of technology in Africa does not yet cover the nook and cranny of the region but only famous cities leaving hamlet settlers still in the crude age. Celebrating technology in Africa would be worth it if about 80% of the African continent have a taste of tech development which would enhance individual participation in tech.
However, famous cities in Africa have experienced tremendous development due to various tech start-ups, FinTech companies and the latest 5G launchings across different African nations. In 2021, 33% of the total population in Africa used the internet, and only these will obviously be able to access these technologies.
Global Innovation Index (GII) provided a list of Africa’s 10 top tech-savvy countries; South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Egypt, Rwanda, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda and Angola, but the best in technology is yet to come from these African countries.
In optimism, the dawn of a new era in Africa’s technology has begun as tech manufacturers come into the region, and the government now see the need to make provision for tech growth in their borders. Recently, the federal government reiterated its commitment to improving Nigeria’s technology. Going back to the individual participatory level, if the African government step up actions to consider technology in the policy process, what else could be a challenge to tech development and participation in Africa?
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Photo By James Wiseman
