African Nations Commit to Cheaper Internet and Smartphones

At the 7th Ordinary Session of the African Telecommunications Union Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Abuja, African nations adopted the 2026 Abuja Declaration on Meaningful Connectivity for Africa. This declaration aims to improve digital affordability, expand broadband access, strengthen consumer protection and cybersecurity, and promote digital literacy, especially among women, youths, persons with disabilities, and underserved communities.

The conference, hosted by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commission, elected Zambia’s Kezias Mwale as the next Secretary-General of the ATU and saw Nigeria assume the chairmanship for the upcoming institutional cycle. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, emphasized the need for enabling policies, affordability, and digital capacity to bridge Africa's digital divide.

She noted that while mobile broadband covers 86% of Africa's population, only 36% are online, with mobile data costing around 4.2% of monthly household income in some areas.