New GSMA report highlights how AI, digital services and mobile connectivity are driving economic growth across Africa, while affordability remains a key barrier to digital inclusion
LONDON, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mobile technologies and services contributed $240 billion to Africa’s economy in 2025, equivalent to 7.8% of GDP, according to the GSMA’s Mobile Economy Africa 2026 report. The sector also supported approximately 13 million jobs and generated $45 billion in public revenues, underlining the growing role of mobile connectivity in powering economic growth, innovation and digital transformation across the continent.
The report finds that Africa’s mobile industry is entering a new phase of development. Having spent the last decade expanding connectivity, operators are increasingly focused on unlocking the full value of digital networks for consumers, businesses and governments. Across the continent, operators are evolving beyond their traditional role as connectivity providers to become digital transformation partners, deploying artificial intelligence (AI), expanding digital services and opening network capabilities to developers through standardised APIs. According to GSMA Intelligence research, 79% of operators in Africa identify becoming a digital transformation partner as a primary enterprise objective.
By 2030, mobile technologies and services are expected to contribute $290 billion to Africa’s economy as digital adoption deepens and connectivity continues to support productivity, innovation and economic development across the region. Today Africa’s digital challenge has shifted from expanding network coverage to ensuring people, businesses and governments can fully benefit from the connectivity already in place.
Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, said: “Africa’s mobile industry is entering a new phase of development. Having connected millions of people and businesses over the last decade, the focus is increasingly shifting towards unlocking greater value through AI, digital services and new forms of innovation. Realising this opportunity will require continued investment, policies that encourage innovation and a shared commitment to ensuring that everyone can benefit from the opportunities digital technologies create. We also call on the broader technology supply chain – including those who manufacture the components that make devices possible – to reflect on how their own success is tied to a connected world, and to join us in closing the usage gap and making that world more accessible and affordable for all.”
Read the full GSMA press release here.
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