Congo: the universal access fund connected 300,000 people in 3 years

June 27th 2024

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In Congo, investments from the Fund for Universal Access and Service of Electronic Communications (FASUCE) have connected more than 300,000 people in 180 hard-to-reach locations over the past three years. This is what the Postal and Electronic Communications Regulatory Agency (ARPCE) revealed in the latest issue of its quarterly journal  La Grand’Actu du Régulateur.

According to the telecoms regulator, residents of connected areas “  now benefit from all mobile telephony services, resulting in the blossoming of local economies thanks to electronic money, Mobile Money and Airtel Money  ”.

It was in March 2020 that FASUCE was officially operationalized with the main mission of reducing the digital divide and promoting social inclusion, by connecting rural, isolated communities and other disadvantaged groups to the Internet and mobile telephony. Population. The structure is financed by contributions from telecom operators, allocations from the state budget, support from public or private donors, donations and legacies… Between 2021 and 2023, four billion CFA francs (6.5 million) were invested to connect 150 “white zones” and 19 schools to the Internet.

As a reminder, Congo had 3.4 million Internet subscribers in 2023 for a penetration rate of 59.7%, according to ARCEP statistics. The country also had 5.9 million mobile phone subscribers.

Source: Agency EcoFin

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