Across the continent packets of data come at all sorts of different costs and in various sizes. But often the poorest are penalized the most. So, given the choice, would you choose food or data?
In Kenya $1(€0,81) is equivalent to around 100 shillings. That in turn could buy you just under 2kg of maize flour which makes the popular staple dish ugali. For that money you could also buy a weekly bundle which would give you about 130 MB of data. So what would you choose, eating or browsing?
In Rwanda, $1 is equivalent to about 855 Rwandan francs. For just over $1, or 1000 francs you can buy about 500 MB of data for one week or 300MB for one month. For that same money, you could also get about 3kg of potatoes or rather a lof of another staple like onions in the market. Many people prefer to buy their data in smaller amounts. For 100 francs you get 15MB for 24 hours.
In Ethiopia, $1 is about 27,55 Ethiopian birr. For 20 birr you can get 100MB to browse for one week. With just 10 birr you might be able to buy two small cups of coffee at the market from a street vendor. So would you prefer to invite your friend for a coffee or access the web?
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission approximately 91 million Nigerians use the internet. That’s more than fifty percent of the population, which provides a huge market for internet providers and also strong competition. But a lot has changed in Nigeria in the last five years. Data costs back then were three to four times higher than they are today.
