The Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa

The mobile industry in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to scale rapidly, reaching 367 million subscribers in mid-2015. Migration to higher speed networks and smartphones continues apace, with mobile broadband connections set to increase from just over 20% of the connection base today to almost 60% by the end of the decade. Falling device prices are encouraging the rapid adoption of smartphones, with the region set to add more than 400 million new smartphone connections by 2020, by which time the smartphone installed base will total over half a billion.The mobile industry remains a key driver of economic growth and employment across the region, making an important contribution given the population growth and high unemployment levels. In 2014, the broader mobile ecosystem generated 5.7% of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa, a contribution of just over $100 billion in economic value. Migration to mobile broadband and the growth of new services will see this figure increase to 8.2% of GDP by 2020, reflecting how increased access to mobile services generates regional growth and development. More about the mobile economy within Sub-Saharan Africa can be found in this report by the GSMA.