The mobile sub-sector in Nigeria and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa added $170 billion to the region’s economy in 2022. This is even as the sub-sector made a substantial contribution to the funding of the public sector, with around $20 billion raised through taxes on the sector. A large contribution was driven by services, VAT, sales taxes and excise duties, generating $10 billion, followed by corporate taxes on profits at $5 billion.
The Global System for Mobile telecommunications Association (GSMA), which revealed this in its ‘2023 Mobile Economy Report for Sub Saharan Africa,’ said in 2022, mobile technologies and services generated 8.1 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) across SSA, a contribution that amounted to around $170 billion of economic value added. It disclosed that the greatest benefits came from productivity effects reaching $110 billion, followed by mobile operators, which generated $40 billion.
GSMA, which is a global umbrella body for telecoms companies, projected that by 2030, mobile’s contribution will reach approximately $210 billion in SSA, driven mostly by improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by the increased take-up of mobile services.
Source : Guardian