The Internet in Africa

Affordability Africa has the most expensive internet in the world. The internet has become quite an tool essential in our day to day lives. Its affordability is an important factor & deterrent to its access. A little research will show you that the internet provision business is a monopolized industry In Africa. You will find giant players like Vodafone, Airtel, Orange, MTN Group & Econet Wireles across the continent their tentacles reaching far & wide. Whenever the market becomes monopolized you can be sure the customers will be on the receiving end.

The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) defines internet as being affordable when 1 GB of mobile data costs no more that 2% of an average income, Africa falls far behind as 1 GB costs 8% of an average income considering it has one the lowest per capita income figures. This puts affordable internet out of the reach of many Africans, what compounds the problem are the internet speeds which are still far below the global minimum standards. The Competition Commission in South Africa released a report showing how MTN & Vodacom were charging exorbitant prices in South Africa when bench marked with a selection of countries & in comparison to other African countries they operate in. This was followed by the famous 15 mins of outrage on social media which was soon forgotten. This can be said for the entire continent, exorbitant data charges with a dash of spurious outrage here & there with no significant legislative changes. Availability Infrastructural development that supports & consolidates internet is growing through out Africa. Most reports will allude to the fact that Africa has the fastest internet growth rates in internet penetration. Affordable mobile phones with access to the internet have played a significant role in boosting these stats. It has to be mentioned though, that there is more need to invest in rural & remote areas in this regard. Set up infrastructure that allows rural schools, hospitals, clinics & development centers to tap & utilize the internet as well. Most of this growth is centered in the metropolis negating the rural & remote areas. Household access to the internet is also on the rise, more households have computers now as compared to the yesteryears. Low per capita income however stifles growth in this regard as a significant portion of the continent has low earnings. Accountability "Liable to be called on to render an account", what institute do you know wants to be liable for anything? Everyone wants to make tons of money with impunity. Internet freedoms are generally on the decline. The Twitter Revolutions of the Arab Spring in 2011 & Wiki leaks made governments fearful of the power of the internet. It has such an ability to swiftly galvanize the thought dormant masses to regime change ends as evidenced recently in Sudan & many more African countries. It's easy to expose corruption, human rights violations, incompetence, maladministration & foster transparency which most governments in Africa & the world over are not in favour of. There is censorship of the internet around elections & wide spread protests, clamping down on activists & old vague laws are used to thwart anyone that does not sing in unison with the governments. We have seen this over the years in Cameroon, Ethiopia Cabon, Chad & Sudan currently doesn't have internet for the past 72 hours. It is a violation of freedom of expression & a UN human rights council resolution was passed condemning the shutdowns of the Internet & the UN General Assembly declared the internet a human right. So that's a no on accountability. Photocredits:Google, sysinfinitisolution.com #DayNo10 #WinterABC #Internet #Africa @AfroBloggers

ITWeb, Africa sees strong internet growth, https://www.itweb.co.za/content/VgZeyvJA3V6qdjX9, accessed 10 June 2019. MTN & Vodacom slammed over high data cost in Competition Commission Report, https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/mtn-vodacom-slammed-over-high-data-cost-in-competition-commission-report-21914081, accessed 10 June 2019. Quartz Africa,The cost if the internet is dropping globally but not fast enough in Africa,https://qz.com/africa/1577429/how-much-is-1gb-of-mobile-data-in-africa/, accessed 10 June 2019. South African Institute of International Affairs, Balancing Cybersecurity & Internet Freedom in Africa, https://saiia.org.za/research/balancing-cyber-security-and-internet-freedom-in-africa/, accessed 10 June 2019.