Kenya and Tanzania: Mawingu I & II
Expanding access to affordable internet in rural areas
Challenge
The World Economic Forum considers access to meaningful broadband internet as being the next developmental step for the African continent after access to energy. Internet access has been shown to deliver significant benefits for education, employment and income, leading to wider economic development. However, in Kenya and Tanzania, rural customers tend to be unserved or underserved by existing broadband provision and access costs can be prohibitively high. With only 15% of rural households in Kenya having access to the internet at home, there is a significant ‘digital gap’ which needs to be bridged if people living in rural areas are to harness the benefits of internet access for education, healthcare and business development. In Tanzania, it is estimated that 86% of the rural population do not have access to the internet.
Overview
Solution
When InfraCo Africa made its initial investment into Mawingu Networks Ltd (Mawingu) in 2022, the company was operating across fifteen counties of Kenya, delivering rural internet access to >7,500 customers. The company delivers its services via solar-plus-battery powered radio towers which it builds, operates and maintains. Mawingu also carries out ‘last-mile’ connections, delivering affordable fixed connectivity for domestic, business and public-sector premises (e.g. schools and healthcare facilities) via rooftop aerials and wi-fi router equipment. With support from InfraCo Africa, Mawingu has grown its offering across Kenya, reaching >48,700 people across twenty-eight counties to date.
In a second phase of development, InfraCo Africa has invested alongside FMO to enable Mawingu to acquire Tanzanian internet service provider, Habari Node Ltd. The acquisition will allow Mawingu to scale its offering further, with 83,000 households and 1,200 business customers across rural Kenya and Tanzania expected to benefit from new fixed wireless connections.
Mawingu is actively seeking to employ women in technical and professional roles as the business grows. The company will also engage with women and girls in rural communities to ensure that they are equipped with the digital skills training and opportunities required to make best use of internet access when it is installed.
Once operating at scale, it is anticipated that Mawingu will attract further private sector finance to expand its offering in other countries in the region.
