Of all the devices available with internet capability, smartphones are generally the least expensive with characteristics that offer more than a basic connectivity. Because of this, they serve an important role in providing people with meaningful connectivity – a crucial…
This blog was written by Tayyaba Iftikhar, Assistant Director of Public Relations Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) in collaboration with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) organized a Digital Gender Sensitization Workshop. The event focused on gender…
This blog was written by A4AI’s Project Manager and Researcher Evelyn Namara. The 11th Africa Internet Governance Forum took place in Lilongwe, Malawi. What stood out for me compared to other AfIGF events I’ve attended was the number of Parliamentarians from…
This blog was written by A4AI’s Project Manager and Researcher Evelyn Namara. A thriving, reliable, and secure digital infrastructure is one of the critical pillars of economic development in most emerging economies. However, most developing countries continue to lack thriving…
Christinah Ngoy, 22, is a facilitator at Timbuktu in the Valley, a skills development space for children living in some of Johannesburg’s most impoverished inner-city neighbourhoods. All images by Thom Pierce. I was born in South Africa, but both my…
Palesa Ramolefo is a 25-year-old activist working with Amandla.Mobi, a campaigning organisation based in South Africa. She was also one of the campaigners behind the #DataMustFall campaign in South Africa. All images by Thom Pierce. I’ll never forget the first time I used…
Melissa and Sizanenhle, both aged 10, attend the aftercare sessions at Timbuktu in the Valley, a skills development project in Johannesburg. All images by Thom Pierce. Sizanenhle wants to be a scientist when she grows up. Or a lawyer, maybe. She…
This article was written by Ana Maria Rodriguez, Research Analyst and Teddy Woodhouse, Senior Research Manager for Access and Affordability. According to an analysis conducted by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), 1GB of mobile broadband data became less affordable…
This post was written by Teddy Woodhouse, Senior Research Manager for Access and Affordability. Follow Teddy on Twitter @TeddyWoodhouse. Billions of people have never used the internet before. How do we connect them for the first time? In many parts…
Our costs of exclusion report found that the digital gender gap has cost 32 countries $1 trillion in lost-GDP in the past decade, underlining the huge economic price we all pay when women have less access to the internet’s benefits.…
This piece was written by A4AI Advisory Council Member and World Bank Digital Development Director Boutheina Guermazi. It was originally published by Devex. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the story of Namitha Narayanan in Kerala, India, went viral after she climbed on…
From June to August 2021, Mahtab Laghaei worked as a research intern at A4AI. During her internship, she collected device pricing data and co-wrote a discussion paper on gender, diversity, and device use representations in mobile network marketing. Laghaei shares her experiences as…