Nigeria has the cheapest internet cost in West Africa - Report

The report focused on 100 low and middle-income countries in the world. The report showed that Zimbabwe is the country with the most expensive among 100 countries captured in the report.

Nigeria maintained its position as having the cheapest internet cost in the sub-region.

For example, the cost of 1-gigabit of broadband internet data in Ghana is US$3.60 compared to US$15.00 in Zimbabwe.

In the 2018 report, 1 gigabit of internet data in Ghana cost $4.10 on average but there has been a marginal drop to the current $3.60.

1 gigabit of broadband data in Nigeria increased marginally from about $2.74 in 2018 to $2.78.

Guinea-Bissau, which had the most expensive internet in 2018, with a gigabit sold then at $15.66 on average, now sells 1 gigabit for $12.48.

In Sierra Leone, the cost of 1 gigabit of data is now $4.11. This is a sharp drop from a little over $14 it was sold for according to the 2018 Affordable Internet (A4AI) report.

Generally, although the price in the sub-region had reduced marginally, the report said: “data remains too expensive for many, and all stakeholders have to keep up the pressure to solidify these gains and continue the trajectory.”

Despite healthy progress across the board, Asia is the only region that has reached the UN’s ‘1 for 2’ threshold for internet affordability — defined as 1GB for no more than 2% average monthly income.

In some countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and the Central African Republic, the cost of 1GB data remains over 20% of the average monthly income — unaffordable for all but the wealthy few.

The report said, unsurprisingly, those countries and regions with the least affordable data are also those with the fewest people connected to the internet.

Africa, where data is least affordable, is the region with the lowest average internet penetration at around 24%, compared with 51% globally, the report noted.