Towards evidence-based ICT policy and regulation – Volume 2 Paper 5
Although the telecommunications sector in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the mobile market, has experienced significant growth, outcomes have been sub-optimal in many respects. While some markets, such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal, are very dynamic, as a whole Africa continues to lag behind other regions both in terms of the percentage of people with access to the full range of communications services and the amounts and manner in which they can be used – primarily as a result of the high cost of services. The cost of wholesale telecommunication services as an input for other economic activities remains high, escalating the cost of business in most countries. In addition, the contribution of ICT to gross domestic product, with some exceptions in North Africa, Senegal and the Indian Ocean island states, is considerably less than global averages and what it would be if it were being used more widely as a lever for economic growth on the continent.
