Africa is widely recognized as a powerhouse of mobile innovation and entrepreneurial activity, consistently pioneering new applications in diverse sectors. These groundbreaking mobile-first solutions range from revolutionary mobile money services like M-Pesa to expansive e-commerce platforms such as Jumia and Takealot, efficient smartphone-powered retail solutions like Yoco, and sophisticated business-to-business platforms, including Twiga Foods, which seamlessly connects small-scale farmers directly with urban vendors. This rapidly expanding ecosystem of mobile-centric applications serves a user base of approximately 416 million mobile internet subscribers and constitutes a substantial part of the continent’s wider mobile economy, which contributed an estimated $220 billion to the African economy in 2024. These impressive figures unequivocally demonstrate the pivotal role that affordable mobile devices and widespread connectivity have played in advancing both financial and digital inclusion throughout Africa.
Crucially, the mobile revolution is still in its initial phases. A powerful convergence of factors is now creating exceptional new opportunities for African entrepreneurs to solve community and customer problems at scale: the accelerated deployment of advanced 5G networks, the deepening maturity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, and a sustained trend of falling smartphone prices. As mobile-first entrepreneurship gains momentum across the continent, numerous stakeholders, including mobile network operators, device manufacturers, cloud service providers, regulatory bodies, and financiers, must all play proactive roles in supporting the scaling of the continent’s next generation of innovative startups. A foundational element of this progress is dependable connectivity.
Mobile networks are committing substantial capital to upgrade their infrastructure, with the GSMA reporting that operators plan to channel $77 billion into capital expenditure between 2024 and 2030. This investment is forecasted to be transformative: the GSMA estimates that advanced 4G and 5G connections will constitute 75% of total mobile connections on the continent by 2030, a sharp increase from the 47% 4G and minimal 2% 5G penetration observed in 2024. This significant improvement in network quality is expected to unlock a floodgate of dynamic new startups and compelling, data-intensive applications.
For African consumers and entrepreneurs, the smartphone serves as the essential, primary gateway to the internet and their business operations. It functions as much more than just a secondary device for checking emails; it is simultaneously their point-of-sale terminal, their central productivity hub, their primary marketing platform, and their means of accessing financial services. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), such as TCL, therefore hold a central responsibility in cultivating both a broad user base ready for modern mobile applications and directly supporting mobile entrepreneurs. These device makers are actively collaborating with both chipset producers and software developers to introduce highly affordable, future-proof 5G-ready devices to the African market.
Massive advances in on-device AI represent the forthcoming frontier. The newest flagship devices are integrating sophisticated Generative AI capabilities directly onto the smartphone hardware. These phones combine enhanced processing units with dedicated AI engines to enable advanced local tasks such as real-time image enhancement, seamless translation services, and the creation of generative content directly on the user’s device without needing continuous cloud access. This capability is set to rapidly catalyze opportunities for AI-focused startups across Africa. Already, mobile-first companies are exploring AI solutions: Kenya’s Signverse utilizes AI to translate speech and text into Kenyan sign language using 3D avatars, enhancing accessibility. South Africa’s Aerobotics deploys AI to help fruit growers forecast yields accurately from smartphone imagery. And Nigeria’s RxAll applies AI and spectroscopic sensing to rapidly authenticate medicines, effectively fighting the problem of counterfeit drugs. Supporting Africa’s startup ecosystem will not only foster inclusive economic growth but will also contribute meaningfully to solving wide-ranging social and developmental challenges across the continent. The compelling return on investment for innovation, both for society and for corporate bottom lines, is too substantial to ignore. This analysis is presented by Ernst Wittmann, TCL Regional Manager for Southern and East Africa and Global Operator Account Manager for Africa.
