A Vital Force
Africa’s internet landscape has evolved into a vital force shaping daily life, business, and governance across the continent. From remote villages to bustling cities, connectivity influences how people learn, work, and interact. Yet, this digital space remains uneven, with rapid advances in some regions contrasting stark limitations in others. The story of Africa’s internet reflects broader themes of innovation, inequality, and potential.
Early Beginnings
The roots of internet connectivity in Africa trace back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the continent first linked to the global network. South Africa led the way, establishing its initial connection in 1991 through academic institutions like Rhodes University. This marked a pivotal moment, as universities often served as entry points for technology adoption. Egypt followed in 1993, becoming the first North African nation to go online, primarily through government and research channels.
In sub-Saharan Africa, progress unfolded gradually. Ghana achieved full connectivity in 1995, setting up a permanent link that opened doors for broader access. Rwanda, meanwhile, acquired its first computer in the 1980s via the Africa Centre d’Informatique du Rwanda, laying groundwork for future digital efforts. These early steps relied on dial-up connections and limited infrastructure, often supported by international organizations like the International Telecommunication Union.
By the late 1990s, more countries joined the fold. Kenya and Uganda experimented with electronic networks, while organizations such as the Internet Society played roles in training local experts. Internet cafes emerged as communal hubs, where people gathered to send emails or browse basic websites. Bandwidth was scarce, and costs were high, but these foundations sparked interest in digital tools.
The turn of the millennium brought acceleration. In 2000, the number of computers connected to the internet across Africa surpassed 10,000, excluding South Africa. North Africa, with around 3,300 hosts, and sub-Saharan regions with 4,000, showed growing momentum. Pioneers like Charles Musisi in Uganda helped expand networks, demonstrating how local ingenuity drove adoption despite challenges.
Building the Backbone
Africa’s internet relies heavily on undersea cables that carry data across oceans. These submarine communications cables form the continent’s digital lifeline, connecting to Europe, Asia, and beyond. In 2008, only three such cables served Africa, with two landing in the north. Today, the map features over 70 systems, including major ones like SEACOM, EASSy, and WACS.
Recent additions highlight ongoing expansion. The Equiano cable, backed by Google, landed in several West African countries, boosting capacity. Meta’s 2Africa project, spanning 45,000 kilometers and linking 33 nations, aims to enhance speeds and reliability. As of 2025, these efforts have increased bandwidth, but vulnerabilities persist. In September 2025, cuts to cables in the Red Sea disrupted services across Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, affecting millions.
On land, fiber-optic networks complement these cables. Companies like Liquid Intelligent Technologies have built extensive terrestrial routes, crossing borders to link inland areas. Mobile towers, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, extend reach where fixed lines fall short. Satellite options, such as Starlink from SpaceX, offer alternatives in remote zones, with approvals in countries like Nigeria and Mozambique.
Power supply poses a constant hurdle. Many regions face unreliable electricity, forcing reliance on generators or solar-powered setups. Data centers, essential for storing and processing information, are concentrated in South Africa and Nigeria, with emerging hubs in Kenya and Egypt. The African Data Centres association works to standardize facilities, ensuring they meet global standards.
Wireless technologies dominate, with 4G covering much of urban Africa. The shift to 5G began in South Africa and Morocco, promising faster downloads for applications like video streaming. rural areas often lag, dependent on 3G or slower connections.
Current Access Levels
Internet penetration in Africa stands at around 43 percent as of 2025, meaning over 600 million people are online. This figure varies widely by region. Southern Africa leads with rates near 60 percent, driven by South Africa’s 50 million users. North Africa follows, with Egypt boasting 93 million connected individuals. In contrast, East Africa hovers at 23 percent, and Central Africa trails further behind.
Nigeria tops the continent with 107 million users, fueled by a young population and vibrant tech scene in Lagos. Mobile devices account for most connections, with 27 percent adoption in sub-Saharan Africa. Fixed broadband remains low at 0.4 percent, as smartphones provide affordable entry points. The World Bank notes urban areas enjoy 57 percent usage, while rural spots see only 23 percent.
Gender disparities add another layer. Men access the internet at 43 percent, compared to 31 percent for women, limiting opportunities in education and employment. Affordability plays a key role; data costs can consume up to 8.8 percent of monthly income for the poorest households.
Smartphone ownership has surged, with brands like Tecno and Infinix tailoring devices for local markets. Social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, draw heavy traffic, alongside local apps for payments and ride-sharing.
Facing the Hurdles
Africa’s internet journey encounters numerous obstacles. Infrastructure gaps leave vast swaths unconnected, especially in landlocked nations reliant on neighboring cables. High data prices deter usage, with Africans paying more relative to income than in other regions.
The digital divide between urban and rural areas widens inequalities. Cities like Johannesburg and Nairobi buzz with high-speed access, while villages struggle with spotty signals. Power outages compound issues, rendering devices useless without backup sources.
Government actions sometimes hinder progress. Internet shutdowns during protests or elections disrupt lives and economies, as seen in several countries. Cybersecurity threats rise, with a 2025 INTERPOL report noting increased cybercrimes like phishing and ransomware.
Skills shortages limit full utilization. Many users lack digital literacy, making them vulnerable to misinformation. Language barriers exist, as much content is in English or French, overlooking indigenous tongues.
Environmental factors, such as harsh weather damaging equipment, add complexity. Recent cable cuts in conflict zones underscore fragility, prompting calls for redundancy.
Key Projects and Efforts
Various initiatives aim to bridge gaps. The African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy seeks to connect every individual, business, and government by 2030. The World Bank’s Digital Economy for Africa supports this, targeting digital enablement continent-wide.
Tech giants contribute too. Google’s Equiano cable improves West African links, while Meta’s 2Africa encircles the continent. Microsoft invests in cloud services, partnering with local firms.
Satellite ventures expand reach. Starlink’s low-Earth orbit system provides high-speed access in hard-to-reach spots, with rollouts in Nigeria and other nations. The Alliance for Affordable Internet advocates for lower costs, influencing policy.
Local operators drive change. MTN Group and Airtel Africa expand mobile networks, while SEACOM maintains undersea routes. Community networks, like those in rural Kenya, use Wi-Fi hotspots for shared access.
Education programs teach skills. Initiatives from the Internet Society train engineers, fostering self-reliance. Public-private partnerships, such as Senegal’s SMART Broadband 2025, focus on affordability.
Recent Announcements and Plans
In 2025, several announcements have spotlighted ambitious plans to bolster Africa’s internet infrastructure. These developments address longstanding gaps in connectivity, resilience, and digital inclusion, often through international partnerships and national strategies.
One notable initiative is the Africa-BB-Maps project, launched by the European Union in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union. This $16 million effort targets 11 countries: Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The project equips national telecom regulators with standardized broadband mapping systems to collect precise data on coverage and access deficiencies. Over four years, from 2025 to 2028, it will identify underserved areas, particularly rural zones where reliable internet reaches less than 40 percent of the population. By generating accurate maps, regulators can direct investments toward closing these gaps, supporting digital inclusion in education, entrepreneurship, and governance. Capacity building forms a core element, training local teams to maintain and use the data long-term. This aligns with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, which allocates significant funds to African digital projects, emphasizing sustainable growth and policy-driven expansion.
Another focus area involves digital public infrastructure, or DPI, with countries rolling out comprehensive master plans. Morocco’s Digital Morocco 2030 strategy sets out to create a regional digital hub, investing in telecommunications towers, data centers, and submarine cables. It projects creating up to 270,000 skilled jobs by 2030, while enhancing e-government services for citizens. Nigeria complements this with partnerships like the one between the government and MTN Group, under the Three Million Technical Talent program. This initiative has trained 90,000 people in ICT skills, building human capacity alongside infrastructure like the Dabengwa Data Centre for secure data storage. Kenya’s National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032, part of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, includes the Digital Super Highway project, connecting public institutions county by county. These plans draw from the African Continental Free Trade Area’s Digital Trade Protocol, which all nations have joined, promoting seamless cross-border digital services. Demand for digital tools in communication, health, and finance is expected to grow 18 percent in 2025, driving further investments in satellite technology and AI-driven innovations, such as Safaricom’s machine learning efforts for better customer analytics.
Telecom leaders have also pushed for resilience measures. The African Telecommunications Union, alongside the Internet Society and AFRINIC, endorsed a Model Framework for Building Internet Resilience. This framework organizes challenges into networks and ISPs, critical infrastructure like power grids and cables, and market factors affecting affordability. Following disruptions, such as the 2024 West Africa cable snaps and power failures in Kenya and South Africa, leaders call for governments to adopt and nationalize it. Entities managing key ecosystem parts – electricity utilities, mobile operators, internet exchange points – must develop resilience plans within a year, updated annually. These plans emphasize redundancy, quick recovery, and resourcefulness. Tools like the Internet Society’s Pulse platform provide real-time data on availability and security, aiding implementation. Adoption could minimize outages impacting schools, hospitals, and markets, fostering a more robust network across the continent.
Undersea cable projects continue to advance. The Umoja cable, announced in 2024, stands out as the first direct link between Africa and Australia, enhancing global connectivity and reducing latency for users. Backed by various stakeholders, it complements existing systems by adding redundancy against vulnerabilities like natural disasters or sabotage. Other announcements, such as the Indonesian Cable Express IV, expand routes, supporting the continent’s 77 active cables. These additions are vital for the digital economy, where improved speeds could boost penetration rates and create jobs, mirroring effects seen with Google’s Equiano in Nigeria and South Africa. Efforts to address cable vulnerabilities include diversified landing points and international cooperation to monitor and repair infrastructure swiftly.
South Africa’s SA Connect program exemplifies national-level ambition. Launched in 2013, it has progressed through phases. Phase 1 connected nearly 1,000 government facilities and tested community Wi-Fi. Phase 2, spanning 2023 to 2026, targets over 5.5 million rural households, 32,000 hotspots, 18,000 schools, 5,700 clinics, and 8,200 tribal authority centers. Public-private partnerships fund last-mile solutions, with launches in the Eastern Cape connecting hundreds of households and training youth in IT. By 2022, access reached 79 percent nationwide, but rural-urban divides persist, exacerbated by load shedding and cable theft costing millions. Affordability initiatives offer unlimited plans at low rates, aiming to make connectivity a basic utility. Future goals include reaching the 15 million offline, mostly in poor rural areas, through subsidized networks and regulatory reforms, potentially including satellite providers like Starlink.
Morocco has announced 5G rollout plans timed for major events. The Minister of Digital Transition revealed intentions to launch 5G before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and 2030 FIFA World Cup. Coverage targets 25 percent of the population by 2026, expanding to 70 percent by 2030, building on existing fiber and mobile networks to support tourism, sports, and economic activities.
Additional plans include ICANN-managed root server clusters to strengthen domain name systems, reducing latency and improving security. Data center expansions, with eight new facilities in 2025, support cloud services and local data sovereignty. The African Peering and Interconnection Forum facilitates traffic exchange, optimizing costs and speeds. These announcements collectively signal a concerted push toward a connected Africa, with investments in mapping, resilience, cables, and skills training paving the way.
Africa’s Internet and the Space Economy
Africa’s internet ecosystem intertwines deeply with the growing space economy, where satellites and related technologies play central roles in extending connectivity. The continent’s space sector, though nascent, generates significant economic value, with revenues reaching $309 million in 2023 and projections suggesting a leap to $20 billion by the end of 2025. This growth stems from increased investments in satellite systems that support broadband services, earth observation, and data analytics, all of which enhance internet capabilities.
Satellites come in various orbits, each serving distinct purposes for internet delivery. Geostationary satellites, positioned high above the equator, provide consistent coverage but with higher latency, suitable for broadcasting and backhaul in stable environments. Medium-Earth orbit systems, like those from SES, offer lower latency and higher throughput, ideal for enterprise needs. Low-Earth orbit constellations, exemplified by Starlink, circle closer to the planet, delivering speeds up to 1 Gbps with minimal delays, making them perfect for real-time applications in remote areas.
Starlink has expanded rapidly, operating in 21 countries by mid-2025, including recent launches in Chad and Guinea-Bissau. In Kenya, it connected over 16,000 users within 15 months, slashing latency from 120 milliseconds to 26 milliseconds. Equipment rentals start at $15 monthly, making it more accessible, though setup costs remain a barrier for some. Partnerships amplify this reach; Airtel Africa teamed up with SpaceX to integrate satellite services across 14 nations, while MTN South Africa collaborated with Lynk Global for Africa’s first satellite-to-mobile call in March 2025. These alliances blend satellite tech with mobile networks, enabling direct-to-device connectivity that bypasses traditional infrastructure.
Other operators contribute as well. Eutelsat, Intelsat, and Avanti Communications shape the landscape with their low-Earth orbit offerings, focusing on broadband and IoT. SES plans to add three more O3b mPOWER satellites in 2025, boosting bandwidth for African enterprises and telcos. These expansions address the continent’s unique challenges, where landlocked countries like Ethiopia and Zambia depend on satellite links to access global data flows.
The African Space Agency, inaugurated in 2025 at the NewSpace Africa Conference in Cairo’s Egypt Space City, coordinates these efforts. Hosted by the Egyptian Space Agency, it promotes collaboration on satellite data sharing, reducing duplication and fostering innovation. With a 123-acre facility for research and capacity building, it aligns with Agenda 2063, emphasizing socio-economic transformation through space tech. National agencies like Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency signed memoranda with entities such as Galaxy Space for low-Earth orbit deployments, IoT, remote sensing, and engineering training.
Economically, space technologies fuel internet-driven growth. The GSMA forecasts 474 million new users in sub-Saharan Africa by 2025, lifting mobile’s GDP contribution to $155 billion. Satellites enable this by connecting the unserved, spurring fintech, e-commerce, and agriculture. In Morocco, space investments under Digital Morocco 2030 could yield 270,000 jobs, while South Africa’s plans for a geostationary satellite in the next five to seven years aim to improve rural access. Earth observation satellites monitor infrastructure, aiding cable route planning and disaster response, which indirectly bolsters internet resilience.
Services extend beyond basic connectivity. Satellite-enabled IoT supports smart farming, where sensors track soil and weather for better yields. Telemedicine links rural clinics to urban specialists, and educational platforms deliver content to remote schools. In sustainability, satellites track deforestation and climate patterns, informing policies that protect digital infrastructure from environmental threats.
Yet, this integration faces hurdles. Affordability limits adoption; Starlink’s fees, two to five times higher than mobile data in places like Nigeria, exclude many. Regulatory debates rage, as in South Africa, where concerns over bypassing local controls create a “shadow internet” vulnerable to foreign influence. Security risks include data sovereignty, with traffic potentially routed through U.S. or European stations, complicating oversight. Funding remains tight, with African nations allocating just $426 million to space in 2025, under 1% of global spending.
Despite these, the space economy offers pathways to sovereignty. Initiatives like Europe’s IRIS² inspire calls for African-led constellations, reducing reliance on foreign providers. Direct-to-cell tech, approved in some regions, could connect 500 million students, igniting fintech and e-commerce booms. Partnerships with firms like Tesla and Huawei for energy and manufacturing leverage mineral resources, while proposed launch facilities position Africa as a space hub.
This synergy between internet and space redefines development. Satellites not only beam data but also empower communities, turning isolation into opportunity. As investments flow, Africa’s digital footprint expands, woven into a global space fabric that promises equitable access and innovation.
Effects on the Economy
Internet access fuels economic growth. Africa’s digital economy reached 4.5 percent of GDP in 2020, projected to hit 5.2 percent by 2025. This expansion stems from better connectivity enabling trade and innovation.
Fintech thrives, with platforms like M-Pesa in Kenya revolutionizing payments. E-commerce platforms, including Jumia, serve millions, creating jobs in logistics and sales. Small businesses use online tools to reach global markets, boosting exports.
Employment opportunities arise in tech hubs. Nairobi’s Silicon Savannah hosts startups, attracting investment. Nigeria’s Lagos rivals as a fintech center, with companies like Flutterwave processing billions.
disruptions hurt. Shutdowns cost billions annually, halting transactions and services. The GSMA estimates mobile contributes 8 percent to GDP, underscoring its value.
Agriculture benefits from apps providing weather data and market prices, improving yields. Health tech connects remote clinics, enhancing care delivery.
Influences on Society
Connectivity reshapes social dynamics. Education gains from online resources, with platforms offering courses to underserved students. During pandemics, remote learning kept classes going, though access issues excluded many.
Social media fosters connections and activism. Platforms enable mobilization, as in protests across the continent. they spread misinformation, affecting politics and health.
Healthcare improves via telemedicine, linking doctors with patients in isolated areas. Apps track diseases and dispense advice, saving lives.
Cultural exchange flourishes. Artists share work globally, preserving traditions digitally. Yet, online harassment and privacy concerns emerge, requiring safeguards.
Family ties strengthen through video calls, bridging distances for migrants. Entertainment shifts online, with streaming services gaining popularity.
Looking Ahead
Africa’s internet future holds promise. Penetration could reach 50 percent by 2030, with 751 million mobile subscribers. 5G expansion will enable advanced applications like smart cities.
More cables and satellites will enhance resilience. Projects like the Continental Internet Exchange aim for sovereignty, reducing reliance on external networks.
Digital inclusion efforts target women and rural dwellers. Policies promoting affordable devices and literacy will narrow gaps.
Innovation hubs will drive startups, leveraging AI and blockchain. Partnerships with global firms will transfer knowledge, building local capacity.
Challenges like climate impacts and regulation need addressing. Sustainable practices, such as green data centers, will matter.
Summary
Africa’s internet has grown from modest origins to a dynamic ecosystem. Infrastructure advances and initiatives offer hope, despite persistent barriers. Economic and social benefits are evident, with future trends pointing toward greater integration. This digital evolution continues to unfold, shaping the continent’s path.
