Mobile connectivity has helped in fueling the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the globe.

Specifically, GSMA’s Mobile Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) report, noted that countries that have achieved the biggest improvements in mobile connectivity have also typically made greater strides toward the UN 2030 Agenda.

GSMA noted that Asia-Pacific for example has seen significant scaling of mobile from 2015-2022 and a sharp rise in the number of unique subscribers and mobile connections. Together, the faster network speeds facilitated by the roll-out of 4G and 5G technologies, the decline in prices and the increase in smartphone adoption, ushered in a wave of new digital services that underpinned an uptake in the region’s SDG contribution.

According to it, developed markets with higher levels of mobile connectivity, such as North America and Europe, typically achieve higher levels of SDG impact. For example, in North America, 85 per cent of the region’s population subscribes to mobile Internet services, and the region’s 5G maturity is supporting the industry’s SDG contribution by spurring the use of new applications and services across different sectors; while in Europe, over 70 per cent of mobile users use their devices for video calls, mobile financial services or for obtaining information on products and services, contributing to a range of SDGs.

GSMA, which Nigeria is a member, found that since 2015, the mobile industry has increased its impact on each of the 17 SDGs. It noted that mobile technology provides billions of people with their primary means of access to the Internet and a multitude of life-enhancing services across education, healthcare and finance. The industry also serves as the linchpin of the digital economy and a catalyst for transformation across different sectors.

According to the report, in 2022, the average SDG impact score across the 17 Goals was 53, meaning the industry has achieved 53 per cent of its potential contribution to the SDGs – up from 33 per cent in 2015.

The mobile industry achieved its highest impact on SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, driven by the unique reach of mobile coverage worldwide. Since 2015, the population living in areas without mobile coverage dropped from 1.8 billion to 400 million at the end of 2022.

GSMA noted that since 2015, almost two billion people have gained access to the Internet through a mobile device, with some 4.5 billion people – or 57 per cent of the world’s population – connected by the end of 2022.

Progress has been made to reduce disparities in mobile Internet adoption between different user segments, supporting the industry’s contribution to SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities. In particular, mobile Internet usage has risen by 47 per cent among the world’s poorest 40 per cent, representing an increase of 710 million since 2015 to 1.5 billion people in 2022; what’s more, 61 per cent of women in low- and middle-income countries are now using mobile Internet, representing an increase of 470 million since 2017 to 1.4 billion people in 2022.

The mobile industry achieved its highest level of improvement in SDG 4: Quality Education with 2.3 billion people (42 per cent of mobile subscribers) using mobile to access educational information for themselves or their children, an increase of 1.6 billion individuals since 2015.