ITU Report Highlights Digital Challenges, Opportunities for LLDCs

Emma OKonji

The latest statistics and analysis from the International Telecoms Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency that setsglobal standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems, has shown connectivity doubling across Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) since 2014.

Although Nigeria is not an LLDC country because of her coastal lines through which undersea cable operators have berthed several submarine cables to boost broadband and internet connectivity in the country, the report however said a wide gap exists between mobile and fixed broadband connectivity, which is applicable to Nigeria, where mobile broadband connectivity far outnumbered fixed broadband connectivity.

Analysing the report, the Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau of ITU, Cosmas LuckysonZavazava, said internet use in the world’s landlocked developing countries has more than doubled over the past decade, according to the latest statistics collected by the International Telecommunication Union.

“While an estimated 86 per cent of people in LLDCs were covered by a mobile broadband signal in 2024, only 39 per cent of the population used the internet, up from 15 per cent in 2014 when the second International Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC2) took place.

“Although this is substantially lower than the global average of 68 per cent, encouragingly, uptake has been increasing at an annual rate of 11 per cent since 2014, significantly outpacing the global rate of 7 per cent,” Zavazava said. 

According to him, the disparity between coverage and actual use is largely due to low affordability, limited digital skills, and the lack of relevant content, among other factors.

The report, which focused on Landlocked Developing Countries, and published on 22 July, highlighted the digital trends in LLDCs, the challenges they face, and the opportunities offered by digital development.

According to the report, LLDCs face unique constraints that set their development paths apart from coastal nations, including higher transport costs, trade barriers, and remoteness and isolation from world markets, but digital connectivity holds considerable potential to mitigate some of these challenges.

“Insufficient international connectivity infrastructure and affordability remain key connectivity barriers in LLDCs.The affordability of broadband services has improved faster in other countries, while prices in most LLDCs remain higher than world medians – for example, the fixed broadband basket costs more than twice as much in LLDCs, compared to the global median,” the report further said.

The new report serves as a powerful advocacy tool to help stakeholders identify connectivity gaps. Concrete data can help put digital development at the top of the agenda for LLDC policymakers and ensure that LLDC digital needs remain a priority among the global development community.LLDCs vary widely in terms of income levels, urbanization rates, and size, necessitating a flexible approach in addressing their challenges, the report shows. Each country’s underlying conditions must be fully understood to develop truly impactful policies, Zavazava further said.

Other key findings from the report showed that the digital gender divide persists, with an estimated 43 per cent of men using the internet in LLDCs, compared to 36 per cent of women.

Youth are online more than the average LLDC population, with an estimated 51 per cent of 15- to 24-year-olds in LLDCs using the internet, but this is lower than the global average of 79 per cent.

The urban-rural connectivity gap is wide, with an estimated 28 per cent of people living in LLDC rural areas being online, versus 63 per cent in LLDC urban areas, according to the report findings.