By Simnikiwe Mzekandaba, IT in government editor
17 Sept 2013
Africa may be the second fastest growing mobile market in the world after Asia, but there could still be lots of room for growth.
Despite countries such as South Africa having among the continent’s highest mobile penetration rates of over 120%, there are a number of African nations that have not yet even achieved 50% mobile penetration rates.
Bordered by Sudan in the West and Ethiopia in the South, Eritrea has the lowest mobile device uptake in Africa with only 5% penetration in that country, according to the GSMA.
The list below indicates markets with the lowest mobile penetration at the end of 2012, according to GSMA Intelligence figures.
| Country | Mobile Penetration Rate | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Eritrea | 5% | 5.7 million |
| South Sudan | 22% | 10.8 million |
| Ethiopia | 24% | 87.4 million |
| Djibouti | 25% | 931,339 |
| Burundi | 28% | 8.8 million |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 28% | 70.5 million |
| Madagascar | 29% | 22.3 million |
| Comoros | 29% | 783,128 |
| Malawi | 31% | 16.1 million |
| Niger | 32% | 16.9 million |
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