Africa Moves to Expand Internet Access for Schools and Health Facilities.

UNICEF launches continent-wide connectivity push.

Africa is moving toward a major expansion of digital connectivity for schools, health facilities and other institutions serving children, as UNICEF invites 96 companies to participate in a continent-wide procurement initiative covering all 54 African countries.

The initiative, announced by UNICEF on September 3, is designed to secure reliable and affordable internet connectivity through long-term agreements with service providers. The programme is part of a broader effort to address Africa’s digital divide, particularly in rural and underserved communities where children and families continue to have limited access to online education, health information and essential public services.

The initiative goes beyond simply providing internet access. UNICEF says the programme is intended to create sustainable connectivity that can support the institutions where children learn, receive healthcare and access social services.

Education increasingly depends on digital access.

For African schools, reliable internet is becoming an increasingly important part of modern education. Connected classrooms can give teachers access to digital learning materials while allowing students to use educational platforms, research resources and other online tools that are often unavailable in communities without connectivity.

The gap remains particularly significant in rural and low-income areas. Children attending schools without reliable internet can therefore face disadvantages compared with students in better-connected urban communities.

UNICEF’s Giga initiative, developed with the International Telecommunication Union, has been working to map schools and understand where connectivity is available and where investment is most urgently required. The mapping process provides governments, service providers and potential investors with information needed to plan connectivity projects more effectively.

Health facilities are also part of the strategy.

The new initiative places health facilities alongside schools, reflecting the growing importance of digital infrastructure to healthcare delivery.

A reliable connection can allow health workers to access medical information, communicate with specialists, use digital health systems and strengthen the delivery of services to children and families. In remote areas, connectivity can also help reduce the isolation of health workers who may have limited access to specialist support.

The challenge is particularly visible in countries where internet infrastructure is concentrated around major cities and transport corridors.

The Gambia, for example, is examining how connectivity can improve health and education services, while the country’s existing fibre infrastructure remains concentrated around the River Gambia corridor. UNICEF says this creates difficulties in extending affordable and reliable connectivity to facilities in other parts of the country.

Affordability remains a major obstacle.

Expanding physical infrastructure is only one part of Africa’s connectivity challenge. The cost of internet access remains an important barrier for households and public institutions, particularly in poorer communities.

In The Gambia, UNICEF has highlighted the relatively high cost of data as an obstacle to digital inclusion. Expensive connectivity can limit the ability of schools, health facilities and households to make meaningful use of digital services even when network infrastructure is technically available.

That makes the affordability component of UNICEF’s new procurement strategy particularly important. The organisation is seeking long-term arrangements that can provide dependable services rather than temporary or isolated connectivity projects.

A large market for digital infrastructure.

The scale of the initiative also highlights the commercial opportunity surrounding Africa’s digital transformation.

Ninety-six companies have been invited to bid for long-term agreements, creating an opportunity for telecommunications operators, connectivity providers and other technology companies to participate in a programme spanning the entire continent. Proposals are expected by November 6, 2026, with the first agreements anticipated in 2027.

The potential impact extends beyond individual schools and clinics. Better connectivity can strengthen the wider digital ecosystem by creating more demand for cloud services, digital education platforms, e-health solutions and other technology products.

Connecting institutions could transform communities.

For Africa, the importance of the initiative goes beyond putting schools online. Connectivity can become a foundation for broader social and economic development.

A connected school can provide children with access to information and digital skills. A connected health centre can give medical workers access to knowledge and communication tools. A connected community can potentially gain better access to government services, employment opportunities and digital markets.

However, connectivity alone will not eliminate Africa’s digital divide. Governments will still need to invest in electricity, devices, teacher training, digital skills, cybersecurity and locally relevant content.

The success of the initiative will therefore depend not only on how many institutions are connected, but also on whether those connections are affordable, reliable and actually integrated into everyday education and healthcare.

Africa’s digital divide enters a new phase.

UNICEF’s latest initiative comes as African governments increasingly recognise that internet access is no longer simply a communications issue. It is becoming part of the continent’s education, healthcare and economic infrastructure.

The challenge now is to ensure that the benefits of Africa’s digital transformation reach communities that have historically been left behind.

If the new procurement programme succeeds, thousands of schools and health facilities could gain access to the digital tools needed to improve services and expand opportunities for children.

For a continent where geography and income continue to determine who gets connected, bringing reliable internet to the places where children learn and receive care could become one of the most important steps toward making digital inclusion a reality rather than a promise.