Introduction

As an ambitious university student living in a rural African community, Ada has been dreaming of pursuing her dream as a programmer. Hence, she is enrolled in an online programming course. Nevertheless, her dream is not as easy as it may look. To attend her online sessions, Ada has to travel for over an hour and a half to her friend’s house in the capital city to have access to a stable internet connection. Then, she has to take the same journey going home. There are more Adas out there having the same experience or even worse. This widens the gap between rural communities and urban ones in Africa. The question is: “How can we bridge the gap between the two of them?” 

Providing Subsidies and Financial Aid Programs

Since most African rural communities are below the poverty line, it might be a good idea for African governments to provide subsidies to families in rural communities. On the one hand, this helps families afford the devices needed to get access to the internet. On the other, having access to the internet using this way may introduce these families to online resources that may guide them to additional income online. This turns these communities into productive ones instead of being only consuming. However, this process should be preceded by a thorough investigation of local community needs as well as potential opportunities available to the rural communities based on their nature, e.g. farming, fishing, logging, etc. 

Partnership to Provide Affordable Devices

Some African countries might consider this digital divide issue as a national security matter. Hence, they seek partnerships with local and international corporations to share in the process, either technically or financially. Here, some companies may participate in providing low-cost smartphones, laptops, or tablets. This makes these devices more accessible. Nevertheless, the performance of these companies should be always monitored by governmental institutions to avoid any monopoly or exploitation of citizens. Meanwhile, simulating governmental entities can be developed to present the same service more efficiently and professionally in the long run. Training personnel to present similar services can be beneficial as a first step. Then, this training can expand to include more administrative processes. 

Providing Digital Access Vouchers

Similar to food stamps presented in the US and some European countries, digital vouchers could be provided to rural communities’ families in Africa for discounted internet access, ensuring affordability. Again, this has to be preceded by a feasibility study and a thorough investigation to make sure that these stamps are distributed fairly based on the neediness of families and the necessity of having access to the internet. Additionally, having access to these digital stamps can be attributed to specific contributions of citizens to their local communities. For instance, citizens achieving a higher level of production based on the needs of their communities might have more digital stamps.

Conclusion

The digital divide in African rural communities hinders the development of the whole nation. Getting this issue solved necessitates adopting untraditional solutions involving governments, citizens, corporations, etc. This bridges the gap between urban and rural communities.