The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), in collaboration with GSMA, has launched the Kenya Digital Economy report highlighting Kenya’s progress in digital transformation and smartphone adoption, providing insights for stakeholders on driving investments and policy reforms to further enhance the digital economy.
CA Director General David Mugonyi said that Kenya is a nation that recognises people that have a nose for opportunity and that the promise of a digital economy is a perfect fit for young people, developers, and the future.
“The growth of the ICT industry and the rapid speed of innovation calls for a responsive policy and legal framework for our people to live, learn, work, and for businesses to thrive,” added Mugonyi.
In a speech read on his behalf by Lydia Sitienei yesterday, CA Director Legal Services, Mugonyi, revealed that as of the end of June 2024, Kenya had more than 68.9 million mobile subscribers, translating to a mobile penetration rate of 133.7 per cent. At the same point, Kenya had 39.8 mobile money subscriptions, working out to a penetration rate of 77.3 per cent.
He shed light on the mobile sector, revealing that in the same period, 66.1 million mobile devices were connected to mobile networks, representing a penetration rate of 128.3 per cent, with the comparative penetration rates for smartphones and feature phones being 68.3 and 59.9 per cent, respectively.
Mugonyi gave insight for these figures, stating that they represent a platform for innovation, the creation of value through new products and services, and the delivery of meaningful and tangible prosperity.
“Today there are 38.4 million mobile broadband subscriptions in Kenya compared to 1.5 million fixed data subscriptions. However, to achieve our national digital aspirations, we, the public and private sectors, must act in harmony to address the dual challenges of device affordability and insufficiency of digital skills, which continue to hold back the rapid development of our digital economy,” he added.
Mugonyi noted that the Communications Authority, in partnership with Safaricom and Huawei Kenya, carried out a digital skilling exercise in Marsabit County, which demonstrated the enthusiasm, affinity, and appetite of Kenyans living in underserved and unserved areas for mobile network services.
“In the last five years, we have connected about 800,000 people across 24 counties to mobile network services through the Universal Service Fund (USF), opening new opportunities in communication, expanding knowledge, and stimulating entrepreneurship,” stressed Mugonyi.
He mentioned that ICTs are also integral to public service delivery, and the Communications Authority of Kenya is equally involved in several major strategic initiatives in support of the government’s Digital Transformation Agenda.
“We are funding the deployment of 2,500 kilometres of fibre optic cable across 19 unserved and underserved counties at the cost of sh5 billion as part of the Digital Superhighway, where 1,300 km have already been laid,” disclosed Mugonyi.
He highlighted that CA, in partnership with Konza Technopolis Development Authority, is financing the roll-out of 47 centres of excellence across 47 counties and 1,450 ICT hubs across every Ward in Kenya at a cost of sh2.8 billion.
GSMA Head of Sub-Saharan Africa Angela Wamola said that since the inception of Kenya’s mobile money in 2007, tremendous growth has been witnessed in the sector, where today transactions worth sh8 trillion are conducted on mobile money platforms annually, and this can help unlock economic potential in Kenya if taken advantage of.
GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer John Giusti noted that to achieve Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, mobile connectivity will play a key role since it is critical to all sectors of society.
“Today there are over 5 billion people worldwide connected to mobile networks, and that has fundamentally changed the way we live our lives, the way industry works, and the way government works,” said Giusti.
By Glory Mukhwana
