Despite being home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, East Africa’s internet penetration rate remains below 40%, lagging significantly behind the global average of 66.2%. Approximately 70% of East Africa’s population lives in rural areas, where traditional connectivity infrastructure is often inaccessible or unreliable.

Aisha was mindlessly scrolling through her phone when an SMS pinged. The message announced a job vacancy at a well-known company, offering an attractive yet believable salary. It ended with, ‘Click this link to find out more.’