(Ecofin Agency) - Congo's Universal Access and Service Fund for Electronic Communications (FASUCE) has connected over 300,000 people in 180 remote areas over the past three years. The project, launched in March 2020, aims to reduce the digital divide and promote social inclusion by providing internet and mobile phone services to rural and underserved communities.

From 2021 to 2023, FASUCE invested CFA4 billion ($6.5 million) to connect 150 "white zones" and 19 schools to the internet. The Regulatory Agency for Posts and Electronic Communications (ARPCE) highlighted these achievements in its latest quarterly journal, "La Grand’Actu du Régulateur."

Residents in these newly connected areas now have access to mobile telephony services, boosting local economies through electronic money platforms like Mobile Money and Airtel Money.

FASUCE is funded by telecom operators' contributions, state budget allocations, public and private donor support, and donations.

In 2023, Congo had 3.4 million internet subscribers, achieving a penetration rate of 59.7%. The country also reported 5.9 million mobile phone subscribers, according to ARPCE statistics.