The number of mobile subscriptions in Africa is now over 650 million. This puts the European Union and the United States behind Africa. A massive boom has been seen in the telecommunications industry. According to a World Bank report, since 2000 telecommunications has grown 40-fold, up from around 16.5 million.
In its eTransform Africa report, the World Bank also credited the new cables that helped increase internet bandwidth 20-fold.
Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director for Sustainable Development in the Africa Region, stated that the development landscape across the continent has been greatly transformed by the internet and cell phones. This is paving the way for new dynamism in some key sectors of Africa. The challenge now is to scale up the pace of these innovations and to spread the success stories for greater economic and social impact over the coming decade.
The report describes how every field, from agriculture and financial services to the wider economy, is being greatly influenced by information and communication technology (ICT). For instance, villages in Malawi use GPS devices to monitor the land in order to prevent deforestation. Similarly, in Mali, telemedicine is helping communities in rural areas gain access to proper healthcare.
A number of tech hubs have also grown in Africa with the rise of ICT.