Moov and Airtel join forces to extend connectivity to 200 remote villages in Gabon

Telecommunication companies Airtel Gabon and Moov Africa Gabon Telecom have announced plans to expand radio coverage to 200 villages located in white zones within Gabon. These are regions that currently lack mobile phone and internet services. This initiative follows a meeting held on February 16, 2024, which was attended by the heads of both telecommunication firms and Célestin Kadjidja, who is the President of Gabon’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Posts (ARCEP).

The planned expansion is part of the second phase of ARCEP’s Universal Service Development Project. This project aims at regulating telecommunication and postal services in Gabon. The first phase of this project saw the installation of 18 radio stations, successfully providing mobile phone and internet services to 33 villages, between 2016 and 2018.

Gabon’s serving Transitional President, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who is also the Chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions and the Commander-in-Chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard, has given orders for the project’s resumption.

President Nguema has directed the nation’s telecommunication regulator, ARCEP, to devise strategies that will promote long-term digital inclusion. As per ARCEP’s own data, approximately 1,253 villages, representing about 6.5% of Gabon’s population, have no access to mobile phone or internet services. This move by the telco companies aims to reduce this digital divide.

ARCEP’s data for the first quarter of 2023 indicates a mobile phone penetration rate of 169% and an internet connectivity rate of 120.3% in Gabon. Nonetheless, these figures are likely to be overestimated considering the prevalence of multiple SIM card ownership among Gabonese residents.

Moov Africa and Airtel’s initiative to extend coverage to white zones in Gabon is anticipated to increase mobile and internet accessibility for thousands of citizens. This expansion will potentially benefit the telecom operators as well by increasing their customer base and thereby boosting revenues.

The Gabonese government is actively promoting digital transformation as the fulcrum of its 10-year plan for economic and social metamorphosis. A significant step towards this transformation is the Digital Gabon Project, for which the World Bank announced a loan of $68.5 million on January 2, 2024.

The project is aimed at speeding up the adoption of digitized public services and broadening the pool of citizens with a unique ID that facilitates inclusive access to public services. The collaboration between Moov Africa and Airtel Gabon advances the nation’s digital transformation objectives, contributing to increased connectivity and digital inclusivity.