- Vice President Kamala Harris announced the formation of a new partnership to provide internet access to 80 percent of Africa by 2030, up from about 40 percent today.
- The announcement follows Harris’ visit to Africa last year and Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Washington this week.
- The United Nations reported last year that Africa accounts for just 3.5 percent of global foreign direct investment, despite accounting for about 18 percent of the world’s population.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced the formation of a new partnership to provide internet access to 80 percent of Africa by 2030, up from about 40 percent today.
Friday’s announcement came as a follow-up to Harris’ visit to the continent last year and Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Washington this week. Harris and the Kenyan president were scheduled to speak at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Friday about how public-private partnerships can drive economic growth.
A preview of Harris’s efforts obtained by The Associated Press outlines how she plans to follow through on pledges she made during visits to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia to promote digital innovation.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an event at Discovery World in Milwaukee on May 16, 2024. VP Harris announced the formation of a new partnership to provide internet access to 80% of Africa by 2030, up from about 40% today. (AP Photo/Molly Gash)
Africa is struggling to raise the capital it needs to develop its industrial and technological sectors. The United Nations reported last year that foreign direct investment into the continent fell to $45 billion in 2022, down from a record $80 billion in 2021. Africa accounts for just 3.5% of global foreign direct investment, despite accounting for about 18% of the world’s population.
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Harris, a Democrat, is launching a nonprofit called the Partnership for Digital Access in Africa to improve internet access, as well as announcing a new initiative aimed at giving 100 million African people and businesses in the agriculture sector access to the digital economy.
The African Development Bank Group, along with Mastercard and others, is supporting the creation of the Alliance to Activate Access to the Digital Economy (MADE), which will launch a pilot program to provide digital access to three million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria before expanding to other regions.
Harris, the first female Vice President of the United States, also announced that the Women in the Digital Economy initiative, which aims to address gender disparities in access to technology, has now generated more than $1 billion in public and private commitments, with some of the U.S. commitments pending Congressional approval.
