Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing the formation of a new partnership to help provide internet access to 80% of Africa by 2030, up from roughly 40% now. Friday’s announcement comes as follow-through on Harris’ visit to the continent last year in conjunction with this week’s visit to Washington by Kenyan President William Ruto. Harris and the Kenyan leader were scheduled to have a fireside chat on Friday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about how public-private partnerships can increase economic growth.
Quick Read
- Harris Announces Plans to Help Give 80% of Africa Access to the Internet by 2030, Up from 40% Now:
- Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new partnership aimed at increasing internet access in Africa to 80% by 2030, from the current 40%.
- The announcement follows her visit to Africa last year and coincides with Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Washington.
- Harris outlined her initiatives to promote digital innovation in Africa, following commitments made during her visits to Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia.
- The Partnership for Digital Access in Africa will improve internet access, while the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy Alliance (MADE) will focus on giving 100 million Africans in the agricultural sector digital access.
- A pilot program will begin with 3 million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria, with plans to expand.
- Harris also highlighted that the Women in the Digital Economy initiative has generated over $1 billion in public and private commitments to address the gender divide in technology access, pending some U.S. commitments from Congress.
The Associated Press has the story:
Harris announces plans to help give 80% of Africa access to internet by 2030, up from 40% now
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing the formation of a new partnership to help provide internet access to 80% of Africa by 2030, up from roughly 40% now.
Friday’s announcement comes as follow-through on Harris’ visit to the continent last year in conjunction with this week’s visit to Washington by Kenyan President William Ruto. Harris and the Kenyan leader were scheduled to have a fireside chat on Friday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about how public-private partnerships can increase economic growth.
A preview of Harris’ initiatives obtained by The Associated Press outlines how she wants to follow through on the commitments she made to promote digital innovation when she visited Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia.
Africa has struggled to receive the capital needed to build up its industrial and technological sectors. The United Nations reported last year that foreign direct investment in the continent fell to $45 billion in 2022, from a record high $80 billion in 2021. Africa accounted for only 3.5% of foreign direct investment worldwide, even though it makes up roughly 18% of the global population.
Besides launching the nonprofit Partnership for Digital Access in Africa to improve internet access, Harris, a Democrat, is announcing a new initiative geared toward giving 100 million African people and businesses in the agricultural sector access to the digital economy.
The African Development Bank Group along with Mastercard, among other organizations, will help form the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy Alliance, or MADE. The alliance will start a pilot program to give digital access to 3 million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria, before expanding elsewhere.
Harris, the first female U.S. vice president, is also announcing that the Women in the Digital Economy efforts to address the gender divide in technology access have now generated more than $1 billion in public and private commitments, with some U.S. commitments pending congressional approval.
