The Next Digital Divide Won’t Be Access – It Will Be Usage

Today, around 85% of people in sub-Saharan Africa live within reach of a 3G or 4G mobile broadband network. However, only about one in four actually uses the internet. 

This means most Africans who could be online are not. Coverage exists, usage does not. Across 39 African countries surveyed last year, only 31% of respondents used the internet daily, and just 47% owned a smartphone. 

At the same time, two-thirds of Africans have no access to a household computer, limiting their ability to engage in anything beyond basic messaging or social media

That gap, between availability and usage, is now the most important digital problem on the continent. It is no longer a problem of cables, towers, or signal strength, but rather whether people, businesses, and institutions can turn digital tools into something useful.

Usage is the next digital divide, and it is already determining who grows, who competes, and who’s left behind.

Access is No Longer the Hard Part

Over the past decade, Africa has done what many thought was impossible. Mobile networks expanded at speed, smartphones became cheaper, cloud services, productivity software, and digital platforms are now accessible to even small firms and public institutions.

In many countries, the basic infrastructure problem has been solved faster than expected. Large parts of Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Rwanda now sit under reliable mobile broadband coverage. Even rural areas are no longer entirely disconnected.

But then, when you look beyond map coverage, you see something entirely different.

Millions of people with network access use their phones mainly for calls, messaging, or entertainment. Many small businesses own digital tools they barely touch. Government platforms exist but see limited traffic. Schools have devices but lack the skills to integrate them into learning.

Access opened the door, but most people never walked through it.

The Digital Usage Gap is Where Value is Lost

Usage is where economic value is created, or not.

A farmer with internet access does not benefit unless they know how to find price information, weather data, or digital marketplaces. A small retailer gains little from a payment app if they cannot track sales, manage inventory, or understand customer data. A ministry can digitise services, but without trained staff and clear processes, the systems sit idle.

This is why the usage gap is just as important as the access gap.

Recent surveys across African countries show that while mobile phone ownership is high, regular, productive internet use is still low, especially beyond urban centres. Computer access is even more limited, which restricts skills development, content creation, and higher-value digital work.

What we are seeing is not a lack of technology, but a lack of execution capability, the ability to apply digital tools to problems, consistently and at scale.

Execution is Becoming the Advantage

Execution sounds far-reaching, but you see it in everyday decisions.

Whether a company trains staff beyond basic onboarding, or leadership understands what tools are for, not just what they cost, or if digital projects move from pilot stage into everyday operations.

Two organisations can buy the same software, one improves productivity, and the other sees no change. The difference is barely the tool, but the people, the processes, and the decisions around it.

Across Africa, a small group of firms and institutions are beginning to pull ahead not because they have better access, but because they use what they have better. They invest in skills, measure results, and adapt quickly when something does not work.

This is execution as a competitive edge, and it is harder to copy than infrastructure.

Why Africa is Especially Exposed

Africa’s risk is not that it lacks technology, but that skills and systems are not keeping pace with access.

Education systems still move slowly compared to how fast digital tools change. Many graduates enter the workforce without practical digital skills, even when they are comfortable with smartphones. 

Businesses usually adopt tools without changing how work is organised. Governments prioritise platforms over people.

There is also a policy lag, with digital progress still measured by access indicators including coverage, subscriptions, and device numbers, because they are easy to track. Usage, capacity, and productivity are harder to measure, and harder to fix.

The result is a divide; the few who know how to execute, and the many who are digitally present but economically stuck.

This is Not a Motivation Problem

It is important to be clear about this. Low usage is not about laziness or resistance to technology.

Cost is a limitation for many, data is still expensive relative to income, local content is limited, language is important, trust is important, but skills are the most important of all.

If people do not see clear value, they will not use digital tools as they should, with depth, even when access exists. Usage follows relevance, not infrastructure.

That is why closing the usage gap requires a different approach, one focused on skills, local solutions, and visible economic results.

What Happens if We Get This Wrong

If Africa fails to close the digital usage and execution gap, the consequences will be uneven growth.

A narrow group of firms, cities, and individuals will thrive. The rest will remain connected in name but excluded. Digital tools will exist, but their benefits will concentrate instead of spreading.

If we get it right, the opposite happens. Productivity improves, small businesses scale, public services work better, and young people gain skills that travel across borders.

The difference between these futures is usage, not access.

So…

Africa’s digital sustainability isn’t dependent on how many people can get online. That phase is ending.

It’s those who can use digital tools well to learn, to build, to compete, and to bring results.

Execution is becoming the key advantage. The only thing left to face is whether we are preparing enough people to take it.

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