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Mobile is ‘pivotal force’ to attain sustainable development

Simnikiwe Mzekandaba
By Simnikiwe Mzekandaba, IT in government editor
Johannesburg, 25 Sep 2024
The mobile industry has achieved 58% of its potential contribution to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The mobile industry has achieved 58% of its potential contribution to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Despite the global slowdown in efforts to achieve most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the mobile industry’s impact in advancing these goals has never been more pivotal.

This is according to the 2024 edition of the GSM Association’s (GSMA’s) Mobile Industry Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals.

The mobile industry achieved 58% of its potential contribution to the 17 SDGs goals in 2023, up from 31% in 2015, notes the report.

It reveals the industry achieved its highest impact on SDG nine, which focuses on industry, innovation and infrastructure. It was able to do this driven by the reach of mobile.

Furthermore, it states the mobile industry impacts SDG one (no poverty) by facilitating access to essential services, like government resources and job opportunities, and SDGs two (zero hunger), four (quality education), six (clean water and sanitation) and seven (affordable and clean energy) by improving agricultural practices and providing nutritional information.

“Growing usage of mobile-enabled activities is also pivotal to the mobile industry’s SDG contribution. For example, three billion people (54% of mobile subscribers) used mobile financial services (such as mobile banking and mobile money) in 2023. This drives mobile’s impact on multiple SDGs, including SDG one: no poverty, and SDG eight: decent work and economic growth, by helping individuals to manage their finances, while creating employment opportunities and raising productivity.”

Mats Granryd, director-general of the GSMA, comments: “The mobile industry is uniquely positioned to drive acceleration, with transformative technologies making contributions to almost all the SDGs. Our passion and technology continue to make a huge difference to communities worldwide, as the primary gateway to the internet for billions, uplifting them and allowing them to maximise their potential in a digital world.”

Based on the report, the world is not on track to achieve most of the SDGs by 2030, confronted by a web of global crises, from climate change, to conflict.

The UN’s 2024 assessment of the 140 SDG targets shows that only 17% are on track, nearly half are showing minimal or moderate progress, and more than a third have seen either no movement or regressed below the 2015 baseline.

Mobile makes strides

According to the report, the role of digital technologies in advancing the SDGs is shown by the strides the mobile industry has already made towards them.

“Mobile technologies have advanced SDG one (no poverty), reaching 2.1 billion of the world’s poorest, with nearly half now connected to mobile internet – a 770 million increase since 2015. Mobile is serving as a platform for users to access government services, job searches and obtain information about products and services, all of which help people to get out of poverty when used correctly.”

In the case of SDG two, which is zero hunger, the report notes the industry makes its impact by supporting improvements to agricultural practices, nutritional knowledge and household food security, aided by rising rural mobile penetration.

Additionally, SDGs four, six and seven are boosted by the industry, with growing mobile usage enhancing a range of improved outcomes in areas including agricultural information and essential services, it states.

“The mobile industry has made the most significant contribution on SDG nine (industry, innovation and infrastructure) by expanding network coverage and internet access, with 57% of the global population now using mobile internet.

“This, in turn, is driving mobile-enabled services, enhancing the industry’s impact on SDG one and SDG eight by unlocking services such as mobile banking and mobile money, creating employment opportunities and raising productivity.

“Additionally, the mobile sector is making significant investments in artificial intelligence, which shows enormous promise in allowing operators to optimise networks and reduce emissions, while advancing the SDGs’ impact.”

Other side of the coin

While more people are connecting to the internet via mobile than ever before, the GSMA report shows growth is slowing.

In 2023, 160 million new users accessed mobile internet – matching 2022’s increase, but falling short of the higher gains seen between 2015 and 2021.

“Getting more people online is crucial for achieving the SDGs and ensuring inclusivity in the digital age, directly supporting SDG nine (industry, innovation and infrastructure).

“This growth challenge is set against the backdrop that SDG progress more generally is slowing in the face of challenging global headwinds, such as conflict and economic instability.”

Turning to Sub-Saharan Africa, the report reveals 520 million people subscribed to mobile services by the end of 2023, representing 44% of the population – an increase of 190 million since 2015.

Moreover, during the same period, the number of mobile internet subscribers in the region nearly tripled, rising from 110 million to 320 million people.

This, according to the report, highlights how mobile represents a growing platform to accelerate Sub-Saharan Africa’s progress on the SDGs and drive socio-economic advancement in areas such as healthcare, education, digital commerce, industrial automation and smart city infrastructure.

“This is evidenced by the continued uptake of mobile money, which reached 835 million registered accounts in the region in 2023 (a year-on-year increase of 19%).

“Despite strong progress in a number of areas, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the largest usage gap and coverage gap, impeding progress across a range of SDGs.

“Additionally, Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest gender gap, with the difference between male and female mobile ownership remaining relatively unchanged since 2017. This limits the region’s progress on SDG five: gender equality, and SDG 10: reduced inequalities.”

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