Just 1 in 8 African Youth Can Afford Data At All Times, Says Latest Report

At the same time, data published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) indicated that South Africans pay up to 85 Rand ($5.29) per gigabyte (GB) of data, which is said to cost equivalent to nearly 4 hours work for people earning the minimum wage there.

That cost of a gigabyte is several times more expensive in South Africa when compared to:

• South Africa – $5.29 per GB
• North Africa – $1.53 per GB
• Western Europe – $2.47 oer GB

It was also established that a young Ghanaian can spend 800 Ghanaian cedi ($100) on data each month, and that the cost was always rising. In Kenya, 1GB of data is relatively cheaper – costing about 99 Kenyan shillings ($0.85).

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The high expense of data in Sub-Saharan Africa has also been found to be the world’s most expensive mobile data prices, according to a worldwide mobile data pricing 2021 report

In the Africa 2022 Youth Report, the Ichikowitz Family Foundation compiled interviews with about 4,500 18 to 24-year-olds across the continent. Part of their findings was that while 71% saw universal Wi-Fi as a fundamental human right, only 1 in 8 could afford coverage at all times.

The high internet cost is concerning given the ubiquity of smartphones on the continent. Data from GSMA indicates that 64% of Sub-Saharan Africans had a smartphone in late 2021, with the figure expected to grow to 75% by 2025.

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