GLOBAL System for Mobile Communications, commonly referred to as GSMA, has opened new offices in Kenya to work closely with its members and other industry stakeholders across the continent.
“The rapid pace of mobile adoption has delivered an explosion of innovation and huge economic benefits in the region. This office will open up new and exciting opportunities for collaboration between the GSMA and our members, other industries, governments, regional organisations and the international development community as we work to connect everything and everyone to a better future.”
According to research from GSMA Intelligence (GSMAi), around 270 million people in the region now access the internet through mobile devices, while the number of registered mobile money accounts has reached 280 million.
The mobile industry is already a key enabler for the regional economy and essential to building a Digital Africa. Mobile technologies and services generated $110 billion of economic value in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2016, equivalent to 7.7 per cent of regional GDP – a figure expected to grow to $142 billion (8.6 per cent of GDP) by 2020 according to GSMAi. The mobile ecosystem also directly and indirectly supported approximately 3.5 million jobs in the region last year, and made a $13 billion contribution to the public sector in the form of taxation.
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