EP.07 | S2 | What Will It Take to Get 900 Million+ Africans Online? GSMA’s Caroline Mbugua on Affordability, AI and Policy Reform

The Luxury Tax Repeal and the Adoption That Followed Mbugua’s clearest evidence for smartphone affordability as a lever for adoption comes from South Africa. GSMA’s South Africa Digitalisation Report flagged the luxury goods tax on entry-level smartphones as a direct barrier to broadband adoption. Government acted on the recommendation in its finance act, removing the tax on devices priced under roughly $140.