{"id":91901,"date":"2025-10-22T16:22:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T16:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity"},"modified":"2025-10-22T16:36:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T16:36:32","slug":"telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity","title":{"rendered":"Telecom Leaders Urge Africa to Harness AI Connectivity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>Telecommunication leaders have urged African governments and industry players to harness the power of connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI) to drive inclusive digital transformation and build greener, more resilient network infrastructure across the continent.<\/p>\n<p>The call was made during the third Mobile World Congress (MWC) Africa, which opened in Kigali on October 21. The three-day conference has drawn more than 4,000 participants from over 100 countries to discuss how Africa can accelerate its digital development through innovation, partnerships, and investment.<\/p>\n<p>Speakers said Africa\u2019s expanding economy, youthful population, and fast-growing digital landscape offer immense opportunities to create data-driven e-commerce hubs, localised AI ecosystems, and smart rural connectivity initiatives that can reshape the continent\u2019s development trajectory.<\/p>\n<p><b>Building digital foundations<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Sunil Taldar, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, said cities such as Lagos, Kigali, and Nairobi are driving the continent\u2019s digital revolution, marked by high smartphone penetration, rapid AI adoption, and rising data consumption.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese cities are the growth anchors of Africa,\u201d Taldar said. \u201cData consumption is rising, and we are seeing the emergence of local leaders in AI.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He emphasised that expanding data centers and building reliable digital networks are critical to scaling AI\u2019s reach and efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>Taldar noted that telecom operators are evolving from bandwidth providers to digital infrastructure enablers, offering cloud hosting, edge computing, and enterprise services as part of a unified commerce ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are moving from centers of bandwidth to digital infrastructure providers, operating edge hosting and cloud services as part of an integrated commerce model,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He also called for collaboration among operators to accelerate AI adoption, strengthen cybersecurity, and provide safe, user-friendly digital platforms for consumers transitioning from non-digital to digital lifestyles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAI can play a vital role in tackling digital fraud and online scams, which continue to hinder e-commerce growth as African markets shift from voice-centric to data-driven economies,\u201d Taldar added.<\/p>\n<p><b>Inclusive innovation and local relevance<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Ralph Mupita, Group President and CEO of MTN, echoed the call for inclusive innovation, stressing that Africa\u2019s digital transformation must be rooted in local realities such as language accessibility, affordability, and reliable energy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the reasons for the usage gap we see is that many people don\u2019t find content that reflects their language or culture,\u201d Mupita said. \u201cWe must create digital spaces and content that Africans can relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He warned that unreliable electricity remains a major obstacle to Africa\u2019s digital ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you don\u2019t have enough power\u2014and 600 million Africans still lack reliable access\u2014this entire revolution will not deliver on the promise of a $2.3 trillion digital economy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mupita urged policymakers to speed up reforms supporting digital payments and promote a cashless economy, describing cross-border payment systems as key to unlocking Africa\u2019s digital marketplace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe digital economy transcends boundaries,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need harmonised cross-border payment frameworks and policies that reflect the financial realities of citizens to ensure affordability, access, and sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Bridging the digital divide<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Speakers agreed that AI and connectivity could be transformative if Africa invests in skills development, local data hosting, and inclusive access. They emphasised that policies must promote innovation while ensuring no one is left behind in the digital transition.<\/p>\n<p>Taldar and Mupita both highlighted the need for partnerships between governments, telecom operators, and technology companies to drive investments that will bridge the continent\u2019s digital divide.<\/p>\n<p>Experts at the summit said Africa\u2019s competitive advantage lies in its young population\u2014over 60 percent under the age of 25\u2014who can become digital innovators if provided with the right tools, training, and enabling environment.<\/p>\n<p>As discussions continue in Kigali, delegates said that with coordinated leadership and inclusive policies, Africa has a unique chance to build a connected, intelligent, and sustainable future powered by AI and digital infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">South-Africa<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; South-Africa. Telecommunication leaders have urged African governments and industry players to harness the power of connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI) to drive inclusive digital transformation and build greener, more resilient network infrastructure across the continent. The call was made during the third Mobile World Congress (MWC) Africa, which opened in Kigali on October [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":91900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,9],"tags":[275],"class_list":["post-91901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-miscellaneous","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Telecom Leaders Urge Africa to Harness AI Connectivity - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Telecommunication leaders have urged African governments and industry players to harness the power of connectivity and a ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Telecom Leaders Urge Africa to Harness AI Connectivity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Telecommunication leaders have urged African governments and industry players to harness the power of connectivity and a ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-22T16:22:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-22T16:36:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2025\/10\/sm_1761138171.463265.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Telecom Leaders Urge Africa to Harness AI Connectivity\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-22T16:22:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-22T16:36:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity\"},\"wordCount\":642,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2025\/10\/sm_1761138171.463265.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"miscellaneous\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/telecom-leaders-urge-africa-to-harness-ai-connectivity\",\"name\":\"Telecom Leaders Urge Africa to Harness AI Connectivity - 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