Last year, Sub-Saharan Africa suffered a loss of $1.5 billion due to internet shutdowns.
Globally, total losses from internet disruptions amounted to $7.69 billion, with Sub-Saharan Africa’s share making up 19% of the worldwide loss.
A total of 28 countries experienced internet shutdowns last year, 13 of which were African nations. These African countries included Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Algeria, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, Mozambique, Chad, Mauritius, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
Sudan experienced the largest loss, amounting to $1.12 billion. The country faced over 12,707 hours of internet shutdowns.
The ongoing internal conflicts in Sudan led to the displacement of 10 million people and the loss of 13,000 lives. These conflicts played a significant role in the extensive internet outages in the country.
In some other African nations, internet shutdowns occurred during protests. For instance, Kenya lost $75 million, while Ethiopia suffered a loss of $211 million due to such incidents.
Across the continent, conflicts remain one of the primary reasons for internet shutdowns. However, in Asia, which topped the list for the highest number of shutdowns, the main trigger was elections.
Despite global losses from internet shutdowns decreasing from $24.61 billion three years ago to $7.69 billion now, Africa remains one of the hardest-hit regions.