Africa should eliminate tariffs on entry-level smartphones and harmonize digital regulations across the continent to bring millions more people online, according to a senior executive at MTN Group.
The biggest obstacle to internet adoption is no longer mobile network coverage but the cost of devices, Ebenezer Asante, MTN Group’s Senior Vice President for Southern and East Africa, Ghana and Sudan, said during an interview at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali.
“No single market has coverage of less than 95% in terms of population,” Asante said. “But you still have seven out of 10 offline. It tells you that the device issue is a real issue.”
Entry-level smartphones that sold for about $40 two years ago now cost roughly $80 because of higher component costs, with import tariffs adding further pressure, he said.
Asante called on African governments to exempt entry-level smartphones from import duties and work with manufacturers to lower production costs through local assembly, supply chain improvements and wider device financing.
He said financing models that bundle handset repayments with airtime purchases would make smartphones more affordable by removing the need for large upfront payments.
Beyond device affordability, Asante urged governments to accelerate regulatory harmonization across Africa to support cross-border digital services.
“The digital borders must fall,” he said, arguing that fragmented licensing regimes and differing regulations across African markets increase costs and slow investment.
Asante proposed a system that would allow telecom operators to “passport” certain licences across multiple countries, reducing regulatory barriers while supporting digital payments, e-commerce and regional business expansion.
He pointed to ongoing cooperation between Ghana, Rwanda and Kenya on digital financial services as a model that could be expanded across the continent.
According to Asante, deeper regulatory integration would help African businesses scale more easily, strengthen the continent’s resilience and support wider adoption of digital technologies.
