A senior telecommunications executive has urged African governments to overhaul their tax policies toward the sector, warning that without urgent reform, hundreds of millions of Africans will remain locked out of the digital economy.
Mr. Daddy Mukadi, Chief Regulatory Officer of Airtel Africa and Chair of GSMA Africa’s Policy Group, made the call at the inaugural États Généraux du Secteur des Postes et Télécommunications in Kinshasa — a landmark summit convened to chart a strategic roadmap for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s digital and telecommunications future.
The event was attended by President Félix Tshisekedi.
“The telecoms sector can no longer be considered merely as a support sector,” Mukadi told government and industry delegates.
“It is now a core sector. Every other sector — from security and finance to transport and health — depends on digital technology for growth.”
The numbers behind his argument are striking. According to the GSMA’s Mobile Economy Africa 2025 report, Africa’s mobile sector contributed US$220 billion to the continent’s GDP in 2024 — equivalent to 7.7% — a figure projected to climb to US$270 billion by 2030.
Mobile networks now reach 95% of Africa’s population. Yet nearly three in four Africans remain offline. The primary culprit, according to the GSMA, is simple: devices are too expensive for most people to afford.
Mukadi proposed two concrete tax interventions he believes could fundamentally shift the trajectory of digital inclusion across Africa.
First, he called for a two-to-three-year exemption on import duties and taxes for entry-level smartphones priced between US$40 and US$150 — the segment most critical to bringing first-time users online.
Second, he proposed the removal of import duties on telecommunications infrastructure equipment for a minimum of three years, arguing this would directly accelerate network expansion into underserved communities.
“These measures would help deliver inclusive and sustainable digital technology for economic and social progress,” he said. “They would support faster connectivity, improved access and the ability to connect more people, businesses and communities to the digital economy.”
Mukadi, who also sits on the GSMA Global Policy Group, framed his proposals not as sector-specific requests but as a broader development imperative.
He called on governments across the continent to formally recognise telecommunications as a foundational economic pillar — on par with energy, transport and agriculture — and to align legal and regulatory frameworks accordingly.
He stressed that closing Africa’s usage gap would require genuine partnership between governments and the private sector, built around a regulatory environment that encourages innovation, protects consumers and supports long-term investment.
With Africa’s digital economy at an inflection point, Mukadi’s message to policymakers was clear: the infrastructure of the future is already here — the question is whether governments will make it affordable enough to matter.
