Across Africa, conversations around innovation often centre on the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, robotics, or advanced computing. Yet one of the most powerful drivers of transformation is far more fundamental and tangible: connectivity.
Connectivity is not only about fast data or smartphone adoption. It is about reducing remoteness, connecting people, and making it possible for people to participate in economic, civic, and social life regardless of geography. When connectivity becomes the platform, innovation follows.
Linking citizens and services
Somalia offers an instructive example of how connectivity extends beyond communication and into the heart of society. Mobile networks have long underpinned financial inclusion, allowing citizens to transact securely via mobile money systems even in the absence of traditional banking infrastructure.
As Ali H. Warsame, from the HIIL Institute and former CEO of Golis Telecom Somalia, explains: “In Somalia, almost 80% of adults use mobile services for financial transactions. For many, it’s the only way to pay bills, run a business, or send money. Mobile connectivity is not just about internet access; it is the economic and social glue that holds communities together.”
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