About 180 million people living in East and southern Africa will be connected digitally over the next eight years through a new digitalisation programme.

According to a report in Africa Business Communities, the Inclusive Digitalisation for East and Southern Africa (Idea) programme – funded by the World Bank and co-ordinated by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) – will target specific groups, including women, refugees and host communities, as well as public- and private-sector organisations to foster an enabling environment for internet access and usage. The programme, with a total value of the US$2.5 billion, is expected to facilitate co-operation between 15 countries, regional economic communities and development partners to achieve digital access and leverage it for productive use over eight years

The first phase of the Idea programme will see a US$10 million grant awarded to the Comesa Secretariat and US$780 million in financing arranged for operations in Angola, the DRC and Malawi. Zambia is also expected to join the programme soon. The structure of the programme is intended to stimulate support from the private sector.

‘Innovative ways to catalyse private-sector investment, enhancing the policy and regulatory frameworks, project preparation support, gender dimensions, and climate change are all part of the programme’s transformational agenda,’ said Comesa’s secretary-general, Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe.

29 April 2025
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