According to the report, increased investment in middle- and last-mile digital infrastructure can improve the quality of internet connectivity across the region while lowering prices.

“To reduce prices and increase the number of connections among new users, more investment in the middle- and last-mile infrastructure (up to $6bn annually) is required,” it highlighted.

The bank noted that the arrival of new submarine cables in Africa has the potential to reduce connectivity prices, noting that this would only be possible with regulatory reforms that boost investment in middle- and last-mile digital infrastructure.

According to the multilateral lender, the installation of new submarine cables will double international internet bandwidth from 2022 to 2027.

It added that the expansion would likely lead to a drop in broadband internet prices and may generate as much as $32bn investment over the next five years.

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