Podcast Archive Template
WELCOME TO
The TechAfrica News podcast where we dive deeper into the stories behind Africa’s digital transformation.
We’re bringing together the brightest minds
in Africa’s digital transformation for a meaningful, uncensored conversation without time limits or restrictions. We believe the dynamic conversations and groundbreaking ideas shaping Africa’s future deserve more time to unfold.
EP.07 | S2 | What Will It Take to Get 900 Million+ Africans Online? GSMA’s Caroline Mbugua on Affordability, AI and Policy Reform
Africa has nearly closed its connectivity gap. So why are more than 900 million Africans who already have coverage still not online?
In this TechAfrica News podcast episode, Caroline Mbugua, HSC, Senior Director of Public Policy and Communications at GSMA, sat down with Akim Benamara, Founder of TechAfrica News, on the sidelines of MWC 2026 in Barcelona to unpack why smartphone affordability, not network coverage, is now Africa’s biggest lever for digital inclusion.
The conversation moved from a proven tax-reform win in South Africa to the policy fragmentation still holding the continent back, and what it will take to get 900 million already-covered Africans actually online.
- 00:29GSMA's policy advocacy and digitalization reports
- 05:02 Benchmarking Without Competition: How the Index Works
- 11:16Why Digital Policy Still Doesn't Align Across Africa
- 17:39The Handset Coalition's $30–40 Smartphone
- 23:35AI in Africa: Real Gains and the 28 Percent Problem
- 29:42Regulatory Modernisation, the Next Decade, and Africa's Debut at MWC Barcelona
Coming up
01/05/24
MNVO Today
Jay Simons
01/05/24
MNVO Today
Jay Simons
Subscribe on your favorite platform
On the TechAfrica News podcast, we bring together an extraordinary lineup of guests from the public and private sectors, such as Ministers and Presidents who are shaping digital policies, innovative entrepreneurs driving change through technology, influential industry leaders from top tech companies, and global thought leaders offering insights on Africa’s role in the digital world.
