Africa is one of those continents that is still lagging behind all the others in terms of growth, development, and accessibility to basic resources. The Internet has become a basic resource for many people around the world but in Africa, fast and affordable internet is still a dream of many people. With the vast modernization and the adoption of technology, the internet has become more important than ever. For this purpose, we will be exploring some of the reasons why Africa needs fast and affordable internet:
Close the Digital Divide
The digital divide is increasing with every passing day in Africa. If we compare Africa to other continents then it is estimated that only 1 out of 5 people have access to the internet whereas if we compare this to other countries or continents then about 80% of the population regularly use the internet.
If Africa gets access to fast internet at a cheap rate then it will allow millions of people in Africa to take advantage of the internet and accelerate development in their nations. There are so many opportunities available on the internet that Africans can take advantage of and change their socio-economic condition.
Improved & Online Healthcare System
We have already seen how online health services are accessible to millions of people in the world and how these services have healthcare easily, especially for people living in peripheries all over the world. If Africa gets access to fast internet then it will help all the Africans in getting improved health services.
People living in peripheries will be able to get remote diagnoses done for their ailments instead of having to travel to the cities. It would lead to an improved health care system in the whole of Africa.
Close the Digital Gender Gap
No matter what everyone says, the gender gap is there. It has been shown that men are more likely to access the internet and be online than women, even in developing countries. With the help of the internet, we can empower women so that they can get to know about the world. They can also grab the opportunities available to make an income for themselves from the internet. With the help of the internet, the digital gender can be closed and women can be empowered.
Contribute to Economic Growth
As mentioned earlier, there are so many different ways by which the internet can contribute to economic growth on local, regional, and national levels. If the internet penetration rates in Africa were to increase to that of developed countries then it would lead to economic growth on a very large scale that could contribute billions of dollars to the GDP and generate millions of jobs for the people.
People would be able to learn new skills that they can use to earn money. They can learn skills like app development, coding, cybersecurity, network security through 192.168.1.1, etc. These are the skills that don’t require going to universities and can be learned easily online in just a few months. There are a lot of different free courses available through which one can easily learn app development, network security for routers having different gateway addresses such as 192.168.0.1 in 2-3 months.
Easy Access to Educational Resources
The Internet can also increase access to educational resources. With the help of the internet, people will be able to get easy access to educational content, educational resources, and other information that is required to improve education. Students who are poor and cannot afford expensive resources would get access to such resources for free through the internet.
Plus, through the internet, the students can learn courses for free if they are in a place where schools are non-existent. Fast internet could help millions of people to get the quality education that they deserve which would ultimately help all the nations of Africa to achieve their due places in the world.
Real-time Communication
The internet has reduced distances and helped people connect together. You could be living on opposite poles of the world and still stay connected to your friends or family members like you are in the same room, the internet has made communication this much easier and accessible. Sadly, in Africa, people still have difficulties staying in contact with others because of the unavailability of high-speed internet in various areas.
With the help of the fast internet, our Africans would be able to stay connected with each other across distances. They would be able to communicate with each other and stay up to date on the latest happenings in the community in real-time.