By facilitating access to information and educational materials for students, parents, and teachers alike, internet connectivity can help circumvent severe constraints on human capital accumulation in developing countries. At the same time, unequal access to this new technology risks reinforcing educational inequalities. This study investigates the effect of internet connectivity on educational outcomes and inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa. To evaluate whether the expansion of mobile internet has contributed to improved literacy and numeracy among children in previously unconnected areas, we geographically match data on the spread of 3G/4G network coverage with literacy and numeracy assessments of over 300,000 children aged 6–16, surveyed in Tanzania and Uganda from 2013 to 2018. To identify the impact of the spread of internet coverage on child learning, we exploit the staggered 3G/4G expansion in the region, drawing on detailed spatial and temporal variation in both network coverage and survey roll-out. Preliminary results for Tanzania suggest, on average, 3–4 percentage points higher test scores among children following the introduction of mobile internet in the local area. For children aged 8–10, the estimated effect is larger – about 8–9 percentage points. The preliminary findings indicate stronger treatment effects in socio-economically disadvantaged groups, with encouraging implications for educational inequality. However, there is also evidence of weaker treatment effects for girls and for children living in female-headed households, highlighting persistent gender gaps in access to and uptake of the new technology.

Researchers involved with the project are Pelle Ahlerup, Dick Durevall and Ann-Sofie Isaksson.

Research seminar with Ann-Sofie Isaksson, researcher in development economics, based at the Institute for Futures Studies (IFFS) and at the University of Gothenburg. Her research interests and empirical work cover a broad range of issues, including aid effectiveness, institutional development, education, inequality, gender, and African economic development more broadly.

This recording is from a research seminar held at the Institute for Futures Studies, Stockholm, May 2025.

Moderator: Gustaf Arrhenius, professor of practical philosophy.

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