networks , and 23 countries having access to 4G networks . Going forward , by 2020 , about three-quarters of all mobile connections will be on 3G or 4G , while Wi-Fi ( another means to access the internet ) is being offered free in a number of towns and cities . Clearly , then , the explosion of digital content in Africa ought to be no surprise at all ! For a clearer picture of what may be in store , here ' s a quick laundry list of content that is likely to shape the industry , going forward :
VIDEOS As per industry reports , the video segment in Africa is expected to witness a 45 per cent compound annual growth rate ( CAGR ) between 2015 and 2020 . Of this , video-on-demand is beginning to hog the spotlight , with close to
100 platforms entering this very lucrative space .
EXISTING GREY AREAS
Now for the flip side . Despite the very rosy picture portrayed by the space , it does have a fair number of grey areas which are yet to be tackled in a satisfactory manner . I allude to the issues of the lack of locally relevant content , high total cost of ownership , low literacy rates and the quite substantial gender gap across the continent . Overall , though , the argument still stands-Africa is in tune with technology . This isn ' t a distant dream propagated by armchair analysts anymore , it is an affirmation . The rest of the world , are you listening ?
GAMING It will come as no surprise that the continent ' s youth segment is largely responsible for pushing gaming . This , too , is driven by the availability of games that come with a “ made in Africa ” tag . Essentially , these offerings are both culturally relevant and available on a variety of devices . It doesn ' t end there , though-going forward , as per Statista , mobile gaming in Africa and the Middle East has registered double digit growth , from $ 228.6 million in 2015 , slated to jump to $ 261 million in 2016 . Age-wise , the 25-34 age group form the largest fragment of the 23.8 million global mobile gaming community while the 45 years and over segment are the least . Overall , the segment , as per Price Water House Coopers , is worth at about $ 217 million .
M-LEARNING APPLICATIONS
According to The 2012-2017 Africa Mobile Learning Market report released by Ambient Insight , the five-year CAGR for the M-learning market in Africa is 38.9 per cent . Revenues are expected to increase more than five-fold to reach $ 530.1 million by 2017 , up from $ 102.4 million in 2012 .
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