Governance
Can Africa’s internet infrastructure cope with the future?
A recent subsea cable break was a warning call for Africa’s internet businesses – is the continent equipped for life in the 21st century?
Headline
A recent subsea cable break was a warning call for Africa’s internet businesses – is the continent equipped for life in the 21st century?
Context
Over the past decade, there has been a significant transformation in the digital landscape of African countries. By 2024, the active users across Africa are expected to reach approximately 730 million, and this number is projected to continue rising. If the forecasts remain on the same trajectory, it could surpass 1.1 billion by 2029. Also read: CMC Networks satellites respond to African subsea cable damage Also read: African internet outage was caused by subsea cable break Also read: What is internet infrastructure?
Evidence
Pending intelligence enrichment.
Analysis
Due to the economic viability of mobile connectivity, the need for infrastructure required for fixed-line internet connections has been eliminated, benefiting all sectors of society and the economy on the African continent. As more regions in Africa become connected, opportunities based on networks and applications are increasing, particularly important for a continent where nearly half of the population lacks bank accounts. However, despite the increasing number of users, the internet penetration rate in Africa was only 43% in 2021, below the global average of 66%. Furthermore, there are significant disparities in internet penetration rates between different African countries and regions. Also read: What is AFRINIC? The role and challenges of the African Regional Internet Registry The development of the internet in Africa faces three major problems: Firstly, weak internet infrastructure, as most servers are not in Africa but mainly in the USA, leading to high internet costs and reliance on undersea cables through Europe for access. Another issue is the management of local broadband. For example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the postal company holds exclusive rights to fibre optics but provides poor service, leading to the use of more expensive satellite connections in the entire city of Kinshasa. In Cameroon, resale of internet connection services has become the main economic pillar of the national telecommunications company ( CAMTEL ), with a monthly rent of $500 for 1 gigabit bandwidth (allowing 12 users to access high-speed internet), while Ivory Coast requires only $100. Chad cannot directly access undersea cables, so the Cameroonian national telecommunications company proposed a monthly rent standard of $800 per gigabit bandwidth.
Key Points
- Africa has witnessed significant growth in digital connectivity over the past decade. However, challenges such as weak infrastructure, monopolies in internet access, and high import taxes on devices persist.
- Investments in Africa’s digital infrastructure, including fibre optic networks, broadband connectivity, and data centres, are crucial to bridging the digital divide and unlocking the continent’s economic potential.
- Digital transformation holds the key to accelerating economic development in Africa, but it must be preceded by the establishment of a secure and stable digital infrastructure.
Actions
Pending intelligence enrichment.
