Here is how much 1GB of data costs in Africa’s top 10 economies

Data has become an integral part of our lives in the current digital age. It connects people to endless possibilities that were once deemed impossible just a few decades ago.

People often refer to data as “life,” but it’s more like a tool that enables us to achieve our goals with ease. In short, data has become the backbone of our modern society. Just with a click now made possible by it, people become part of a virtual community; some are even transported in time to witness happenings in real-time in a different clime; this is just a representation of what data means to man’s life.

The Nigerian Minister of Communications, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Innovation, and Digital Economy, recently inferred that Nigeria’s data cost was among the lowest in the world. This comment sparked social media discussions on the popular social media platform, X (formerly Twitter).

Although this statement is not contextually wrong, seeing that Nigeria ranks 31st globally amongst countries with the lowest data price, many Nigerians have faulted the statement based on the challenge of sound connectivity and purchasing power parity.

For clarity on how Nigeria compares with other countries, this article will compare the costs of the top ten African economies. In doing this, I refer to the report released by cable.co.uk, on the cost of 1GB of mobile data among 237 countries globally, which factors in their exchange rates with the US dollar.

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Africa’s top 10 economies by GDP

The top ten economies in Africa by GDP, according to Statista, are Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana.

For some analysts, using the GDP is not an ideal index for evaluating the standard of living of the citizens of a country i.e. the abilities of the people within that country to afford necessities of life like data, it is perhaps the major index used to ascertain the economic soundness of a country relative to another.

While the GDP per capita may provide a more ideal index, Nigeria and some notable countries like Kenya may not be reflected as they fall below the top ten economies with the highest GDP per capita.

The cost of 1GB of data among the top ten

Among the top ten countries listed above, the report by cable.co.uk reveals that the top 5 countries where the cost of 1GB of data is the cheapest are Nigeria ($0.37), Ghana ($0.40), Kenya ($0.59), Morocco ($0.63), and Egypt ($0.65).

The bottom 5 on the top 10 are Ethiopia ($0.68), Algeria ($0.73), Tanzania ($0.84), Angola ($1.01), and lastly, South Africa ($1.81).

However, this table does not take into consideration the present exchange rate. This author has not also given consideration to the purchasing power of the citizens of the respective countries.

1. Nigeria: $0.37
2. Ghana: $0.40
3. Kenya: $0.59
4. Morocco: $0.63
5. Egypt: $0.65
6. Ethiopia: $0.68
7. Algeria: $0.73
8. Tanzania: $0.84
9. Angola: $1.01
10. South Africa: $1.81

Globally, Nigeria is the 31st-ranked country with the lowest cost of data. The country has an average price of 1GB at $0.39, (N390, using an exchange rate of N1000).

While this places Nigeria among the league of countries where it is affordable compared to some other nations, significant disparities exist within the country itself. The cost of 1GB in Nigeria ranges from as low as $0.13 to as high as $1.64, showing the diversity of pricing options available.

Per the report, Sub-Saharan African countries face a greater challenge, with only six countries from the region ranking among the top 50 cheapest globally. Malawi leads the region at $0.38, while countries like Zimbabwe, Saint Helena, and South Sudan are among the most expensive in the world, painting a complex picture of digital accessibility.

In contrast, Northern African countries offer relatively affordable mobile data, with Western Sahara being the cheapest at $0.58. Mauritania stands out as the most expensive in the region at $1.32. Given these statistics, Northern Africa, as a whole, ranks as the cheapest region worldwide with an average cost of 1GB: $0.86

Read also: Nigeria ranks 31 among countries with the cheapest data price in the world