The GSM Association (GSMA) is opening its first office in Africa. Based in an innovation hub in Nairobi, Kenya, the office will be responsible for promoting mobile communications throughout the continent.
GSMA forecasts mobile connections in sub-Saharan Africa to grow by 250 million over the next five years, after numbers cleared 500 million users in the Q1 of 2013.
According to Anne Bouverot, Director General of GSMA, Africa currently accounts for 10% of global mobile connections. She says that the rate of adoption is “directly contributing USD 32 billion to the Sub-Saharan African economy, or 4.4% of GDP.”
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for almost 66% of all connections on the continent. Bouverot believes that development of the mobile industry in this area could contribute to “14.9 million new jobs” between 2015 and 2020, compared to the 3.5 million jobs today.
However, GSMA notes that this spike in new jobs depends on local governments making more spectrum available for mobile services.
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