South Africa’s digital future will be shaped not only by the infrastructure we build, but by how effectively that infrastructure enables people and businesses to participate in the digital economy.
Over the past decade, the country has seen significant investment in digital infrastructure – including Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ 110,000 km fibre network spanning the continent – yet expanding connectivity alone does not automatically translate into meaningful digital participation. Turning access into opportunity requires a more deliberate and coordinated effort to ensure that connectivity is affordable, accessible, and capable of unlocking real economic and social outcomes.
For many South Africans, connectivity exists in theory rather than in practice. Around 20% of the population has no internet access, and even where networks reach remote communities, the ability to use them effectively is limited by affordability, lack of devices, limited digital skills, and unreliable power supply.
At Liquid Intelligent Technologies, this challenge has long shaped how digital infrastructure is approached. If digital transformation is to deliver real impact, it must translate into opportunity.
Empowering communities to shape their futures
Successful digital inclusion initiatives combine connectivity with devices, skills development, and hands-on exposure to digital tools, equipping communities with practical digital problem-solving skills.
Liquid’s STEM and digital literacy programmes, for example, provide learners in underserved communities with access to digital learning resources, mentorship, and practical skills development. These programmes are designed not simply to introduce technology, but to build confidence and long-term digital capability among young people who may otherwise have limited exposure to the digital economy.
Local context is equally important. Programmes developed without listening to communities often struggle to sustain impact. Effective digital initiatives, therefore, require meaningful engagement with educators, community leaders, and local organisations to ensure that programmes respond to real community needs.
This is where partnerships become critical. Government provides policy direction and long-term development priorities. Industry contributes infrastructure, technology, and operational scale. Communities bring local knowledge and insight that ensures programmes remain relevant and sustainable. When these elements align, digital initiatives are far more likely to deliver lasting outcomes.
Digital inclusion leads to economic growth and innovation
Digital inclusion is increasingly improving how people live, work, and participate in their local economies. When they can access services, education, employment opportunities, and markets from where they are, connectivity strengthens communities while making everyday life more efficient and productive. People can spend less time overcoming distance barriers and more time building livelihoods, supporting families, and contributing to local development.
Take small businesses, for example. Access to reliable connectivity allows entrepreneurs to participate in digital marketplaces, reach customers beyond their immediate geography, and access digital financial services that support business growth. This is supported by GSMA research showing that expanding digital adoption can significantly increase productivity and support small enterprise growth, particularly when connectivity is combined with skills development and digital tools.
Building a digital future that leaves no African behind
Digital progress that leaves people behind is not progress at all. Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ experience across South Africa and the continent has shown that when inclusion is built into the process from the start rather than as an afterthought, digital investment translates into stronger communities and broader economic participation. Investing in initiatives like digital training, skills development, access to devices, and entrepreneurial support plays an essential role in shaping the country’s digital future.
The question facing South Africa isn’t whether to invest in digital infrastructure, but how to ensure it delivers meaningful outcomes for the people it is meant to serve. A digital future built around people does more than connect networks; it connects individuals and communities to opportunity, dignity, and long-term growth.
By Valencia Risaba, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa