Africa faces an estimated $100 billion digital infrastructure gap, a challenge that requires greater collaboration among telecom operators, governments and investors to expand connectivity across the continent, according to Ebenezer Twum Asante, Senior Vice President for Markets at MTN Group.

Speaking to The New Times on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum 2026 in Kigali, Asante said Africa needs shared investment models to accelerate the rollout of digital infrastructure and connect millions of people online.

"One such solution that is really hot on the table is, how do we solve the digital infrastructure investment gap in the continent? It’s about a $100 billion gap. MTN will chip in its part. We invest about $2 billion in our network every single year, but the gap is still there,” he stated.

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Shift from competition to collaboration

Asante said telecom operators should move away from competing on infrastructure development and instead collaborate on building networks while competing on services.

"We are working together. How do we bring about shared ownership? So that when it comes to the infrastructure, we don’t need to compete. We can all contribute to building infrastructure, and then we can compete at the layer of service.”

He appreciated the fact that discussions at the forum brought together telecom operators, governments, development partners and investors to explore solutions to Africa’s connectivity challenges.

Affordability remains a key barrier

According to Asante, one of the continent’s biggest digital inclusion challenges remains affordability, with millions of Africans still unable to access devices and internet services.

"The other problem that we are looking for a common solution for is, seven out of 10 Africans are offline. How do we bring them online?”

"The main barrier for keeping them offline is just poverty, and the fact that they can’t afford the devices.”

Partnerships to unlock long-term infrastructure financing

He added that telecom firms are increasingly looking at partnerships with governments and institutional investors, including pension funds, to finance long-term digital infrastructure projects.

"So, together, we can build powerful infrastructure, not relevant and suited only for a country, but continentally available to enable trade, to enable movement of people, to enable services,” he added.

Infrastructure key to digital transformation

Asante said digital infrastructure remains critical for supporting emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, fintech services and cybersecurity systems.

"Without the infrastructure, you cannot carry the huge amount of data. Without the infrastructure, you cannot even protect the services that you are giving,” he said.

MTN’s investment strategy and Rwanda performance

MTN, Asante stated, continues to invest in fibre networks, satellite infrastructure and mobile financial services platforms as part of its Ambition 2030 strategy aimed at supporting Africa’s digital transformation.

Asante also talked about MTN Rwanda’s strong first-quarter performance, which saw profit after tax rise by 466.6 per cent to Rwf8.3 billion, driven largely by growth in data and fintech services.

"One thing that I really like about the Rwanda model is that the work we do here is all driven and fostered by the vision and the strategy of the country. So, if you have these two things working in this country, I think the digital future of Rwanda can only be bright.”