Seven in ten Africans own their own mobile phones, with access essentially universal in Algeria and Senegal, according to Afrobarometer findings from across 34 countries.
The report, based on face-to-face interviews with more than 51,000 people, reveals that 84% use cell phones at least occasionally, a higher level of access than reported previously by the United Nations. Internet use is less common – with only 18% using it at least monthly.
These technological trends are detailed in Afrobarometer's report, "The Partnership of Free Speech and Good Governance in Africa," released today at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Nairobi. Written by Winnie Mitullah and Paul Kamau at IDS, the report identifies the countries with the highest and lowest use of information and communications technologies.