On today’s TechTouch series, we would like to show how digital economy is tied to the internet economy and why Africa should take the power economy serious to light up its future for good.
There wasn’t “light” at the end of the tunnel until the appearance of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. With their genius contributions as pioneers of electricity, our world was changed for good.
Today, it is hard to get anything done without the support of power. And it would be probably impossible for digital economy and the internet economy to thrive without the electrified economy.
While millions of African are taking advantage of the digital-internet economy, millions are losing on this opportunity due to poor power supply or no power at all.
According to the International Energy Agency, half of Africa’s population still doesn’t have access to electricity.
The Telecom Economy And How It Plays A Significant Role In Enabling Africans Advance Digitally
Another sector to look at, is the telecom infrastructure companies. Without them, over 500 million Africans who have access to “reliable” power, would still find it difficult to thrive in today’s digital-internet economy. And according to GSM Association only about 22% of Africa’s population have access to the internet.
To keep the wheels rolling, telecom infrastructure companies rely highly on diesel generators—consuming about 28,000 litres of diesel in a year.
Although some are trying out mini-solar solutions. For some the renewable source of power may not be reliable full-time and that it is prone to vandalism.
For the African economy as a whole to grow exponentially, its representatives on international platforms must seek to collaborate and address its power issues as well as at COP27 level on the continent respectively.
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By Elijah Christopher
