Millions of Africans live within reach of mobile broadband but are not using the internet, according to a joint report by the Partnership for Digital Access in Africa and GSMA Intelligence.

The report examined connectivity indicators, infrastructure gaps and barriers to internet use across 11 core markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its findings suggest that Africa’s digital-access challenge is increasingly about meaningful use rather than network availability alone.

About 906 million people live in areas covered by mobile broadband but do not use mobile internet. A further 122 million live in areas without last-mile mobile or fixed connectivity.

Africa had an estimated 550 million internet users in 2025, equal to 36% of the continent’s population. That was up from 16% in 2015 but remained below the global usage rate of 74% cited in the report.

Different countries, different barriers

Ghana, Egypt and Niger demonstrate how the gap between coverage and useful internet access varies across markets.

Ghana has 99% 4G coverage but a reported usage gap of 57%. Survey results cited in the report showed that weekly social-media use stood at 86% among men and 82% among women. However, weekly use of online banking or mobile money was reported by 25% of men and 21% of women.

Weekly government-service use was reported by 24% of surveyed Ghanaian men and 18% of women, while income-generating internet use stood at 30% and 26%, respectively. The figures indicate that access to social platforms does not necessarily translate into wider economic or public-service benefits.

The report identifies affordability, digital skills and trust in digital services among the factors restricting wider use. An entry-level smartphone is estimated to cost about $18, equivalent to 7% of per-capita monthly income, although the source does not specify the country or countries covered by that estimate. Among people aware of mobile internet but not using it, handset cost was cited as a barrier by 45% of men and 44% of women.

Trust is also a concern. Electronic fraud incidents reported by payment service providers rose by 54% to 24,124 in 2025, according to the figures cited in the report.

Egypt presents a different pattern. Some 93% of mobile internet users in the country reportedly go online daily, but use of services with stronger economic or public-service value remains limited. Between 15% and 16% of surveyed users reported weekly online banking or mobile-money use, while 15% reported using government services and 13% to 14% used mobile internet for income-generating activities.

Egypt had 46.3 million active mobile wallets in the second quarter of 2025, although the report says usage was concentrated on transfers and top-ups.

In Niger, more than 71% of the population remains in the usage gap. The report links the situation to literacy, device capability and the perceived value of being online. It also points to limited local digital services in areas including agriculture, education and public services, as well as the reduced usefulness of applications designed primarily in French for speakers of Hausa and Zarma.

2030 target faces a shortfall

At current rates, Africa is projected to reach about 700 million internet users by 2030, more than 300 million below the goal of connecting 1 billion people.

The report says the target remains achievable, but would require different responses in different markets. These include cheaper devices and stronger trust in Ghana, more productive digital services in Egypt, and affordable local-language, low-bandwidth services in Niger.

It estimates that halving both the coverage and usage gaps could bring an additional 514 million people online.