Internet and social media disruptions in Africa over the past five years

There were 90 Internet and social media disruptions across Africa between 2017 and 2021. The year 2019 had the highest disruptions with 25 across 16 countries.

Source:
Period:
2017 - 2021
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86% of Nigerians aged 10+ in Nigeria’s North West lack Internet access
Nigerians aged 10 years and above in the South-South region have three times more access to the internet (42%) compared to those in the North-West (14%).
1GB of data in the US costs 15 times more than in Nigeria.
The cost of accessing the Internet isn't the same everywhere. In Switzerland, 1GB of mobile data costs $7.29, the most expensive globally, while Nigeria stands at just $0.38, which is 15 times less than the cost in the United States ($6.00). Meanwhile, Israel offers the cheapest deal at only $0.02 per GB. There is a more moderate global average at $2.59.
Burundi's broadband subscriptions increased the most in 2015
In 2022, only 11.3% of Burundi's population was using the Internet. As of 2023, the East African nation had an adult population of over 7 million and less than 3,000 fixed broadband subscriptions and 8.65 million mobile lines. Burundi's fixed broadband subscriptions grew from only 160 in 2009 to 2,790 in 2023, peaking at 4,230 in 2020 before a decline.
Nigeria: Northern states led internet subscriber growth from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024
Internet subscribers in Nigeria increased by 4.3% from 157.6m in March 2023 to 164.4m as of March 2024, an addition of 6.817m new subscribers. Lagos State has the largest share of active internet subscribers in Nigeria, but Nasarawa gained the most new subscribers in one year. assarawa (604k) got the most new subscribers between Q1 2023 and Q1 2024, followed by Niger (456k) and Kano (387k). Benue (368k) and Kwara (315k) also saw impressive subscriber growth. Bauchi, Taraba, Katsina, Adamawa, and Kogi completed the top ten.
Mobile Connectivity Index; Only four African countries exceeded the global average in 2023
A country with strong infrastructure, affordable services, and high digital literacy, enabling everyone to use fast and reliable mobile internet will have a perfect score (100) on the GSMA's Mobile Connectivity Index 2023. South Africa leads in Africa with 69.53. Globally, Singapore is first, with a score of 93.7, setting the benchmark for mobile internet adoption. Only four African countries — South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Egypt — surpassed the global average score.
Tunisia, Ghana, and Nigeria scored below the global average. The Mobile Connectivity Index analysed measured 173 countries' mobile internet adoption from 2014-2023, normalising indicators to a 0-100 scale for consistency. The factors assessed include infrastructure, affordability, digital literacy, and policy frameworks.
 
South Sudan tops the list of African countries with the most breached online accounts since 2004
Surfshark's data reveals that 17.2b online accounts have been compromised globally since 2004, with African countries accounting for 250.7m (1.45%). South Sudan has the highest number of breached online accounts in Africa, with over 89 million compromised accounts. South Africa and Egypt follow with 0.2% and 0.13% of the global figure, respectively. Nigeria ranks fourth with 19.3 million breaches. Although Africa's share of global breaches is relatively low, the potential harm is significant. Recently, unauthorised websites reportedly sold Nigerians' data, including NIN, BVN, and driver's licenses, for as little as ₦100. These breaches pose serious privacy, financial security, and national safety risks, calling our attention to the urgent need for robust data protection measures.
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