Telecom

Senegal: Macky Sall instructs measures for improved access to telecom services

Senegal: Macky Sall instructs measures for improved access to telecom services
Thursday, 24 March 2022 17:09

In Africa, the digitization of public services was accelerated in 2020, driven by the coronavirus pandemic.  However, the connectivity that allows access to them is not yet accessible to all. In Senegal, the government is moving to address that issue. 

Macky Sall (photo), Senegal’s President, has instructed the improvement of network coverage. During the ministerial council on March 21, he asked the Minister of Digital Economy and Telecommunications to take measures to develop the Universal Service Funds for Telecommunications. 

At the council, the Head of State stressed the “need to redeploy and improve the intervention mechanisms of the Universal Service Funds for Telecommunications (FDSUT), a promotion tool,” whose activities still have to primarily go through an institutional evaluation. 

According to the latest data published by the country’s telecom regulator ARTP, Senegal has 15,418,058 Internet subscribers, representing a 92.29% penetration rate.  The ARPT failed to disclose the network coverage rate, however.  Indeed, the internet penetration rate is calculated by dividing the number of SIM cards by the number of residents (estimated to be 16,705,608 by the national agency for demography ANSD in 2020). Considering that in urban areas some residents have more than one SIM card, some regions may still be poorly covered. 

Currently, Senegal is accelerating the digitization of its public services and the digital transformation of several strategic sectors such as health and education. It is therefore crucial for the country to improve access to telecom service,  internet, and mobile payments notably, even in remote areas.  

For the President of the Republic, that improvement is the only way for all Senegalese to fully participate in the digital society promoted by Plan Sénégal Emergent, the country’s 2014-2023 development strategy.

Muriel Edjo

On the same topic
Reliable, high-capacity international connectivity is crucial for driving economic growth, enabling digital services, and promoting regional...
• Morocco to build 500 MW green-powered data center in Dakhla to boost cloud infrastructure• Part of Digital Morocco 2030, aiming for data sovereignty and...
• Cameroon and Chad plan to launch free mobile roaming by August 11, following a joint coordination meeting in N'Djamena• The move revives a stalled CEMAC...
By investing in shared, open-access fibre networks, Vodacom and Maziv can help drive more affordable retail broadband pricing and reduce barriers for...
Most Read
01

• Investors seem to keep focusing on yields, which are high for the moment• New Leadership might see...

Afreximbank Bonds Retain Market Confidence Despite Moody’s Downgrade
02

• Qatar Airways and Kenya Airways establish strategic agreement, introducing a third daily flight be...

Qatar Airways Expands its Network in Africa, Building Presence in Kigali, Johannesburg, and Nairobi
03

• ECOWAS Bank funds 47.7-km stretch of strategic 700-km road project• Lagos-Calabar highway seen boo...

Nigeria Secures $100 mln ECOWAS Bank Loan for Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
04

• EY is preparing to leave Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa by 2026• The exit could unlock $500 m...

EY’s Exit Creates $1bn Opportunity in Francophone Africa Consulting Market
05

• Inflation within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) fell to a two-year low of 0....

UEMOA: Inflation Drops to 0.6% in May, Driven by Lower Food Prices
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72
Média kit : Download

EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.