The price of connection: Uncovering Africa’s data divide
Through the Research ICT Africa Mobile Pricing (RAMP) Index, we can analyse the monthly cost of a 1 GB basket of mobile data among African countries for Q2 2025. Prices are presented in USD, adjusted using prevailing quarterly average exchange rates, even though data were originally collected in local currencies. A total of 45 countries (where data were available) were evaluated, focusing on the lowest mobile broadband package available for each service provider. The prices are collected for data baskets of 100MB, 500MB and 1000MB (1GB), valid for 1 day, 7 days and one month. For this analysis, we only focus on the 1GB basket valid for one month.
The chart below displays the top and bottom 10 African countries based on the cost of a 1GB mobile data basket in USD (primary axis) and their corresponding rankings among the 45 countries assessed (secondary axis). Rankings are inverted, i.e. 1 = cheapest, 45 = most expensive. All countries are ranked 1 to 45, confirming consistency between price and rank. Rankings add interpretive power to price analysis by showing relative positioning in the continental context. The strong linear alignment between higher prices and lower affordability ranks indicates that the RAMP Index’s methodology accurately captures pricing disparities.
The price clustering below $1.55 and high rank values (1-10) indicate a high degree of affordability and efficiency in mobile data pricing. Ethiopia offered the best price for a 1GB monthly basket at ETB60, equivalent to USD0.45, and this was offered by Ethio Telecom, which commands the largest market share compared to Safaricom, a relatively new entrant into the long-standing monopoly held by Ethio Telecom. According to the 2022-2023 After Access survey insights, low prices in countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are attributed to low average incomes, necessitating sensitive pricing models. Ethiopia has largely adopted policies favouring state-led rollout, while Nigeria exhibits market competition.
Rwanda has universal service obligations and uses infrastructure-sharing and public-private models, linked to policies supporting rural connectivity and infrastructure expansion, to reduce costs. High mobile penetration rates enable providers to spread infrastructure costs across larger user bases. Local production or negotiation of lower bandwidth prices, often with support from multilateral partners, also reduces costs. However, it is worth noting that prices in USD may have changed due to exchange rate fluctuations, rather than shifts in real tariffs. For example, if a local currency depreciates, the dollar equivalent cost could rise even if nominal tariffs remain unchanged. Exchange rate shifts may have worsened rankings for some countries, even though domestic tariffs may not have changed, as local currency appreciation/depreciation has deflated/inflated USD equivalents.
While the top 10 prices are tightly clustered below $1.55, the bottom 10 range widely, from $5.14 (Cape Verde) to $16.50 (Seychelles), showing extreme differences in affordability within the bottom tier. The average price in the bottom 10 (USD8.39) is about 9 times higher than in the top 10 (USD0.92). These bottom-10 countries are ranked 36 to 45, placing them firmly at the bottom. The general trend confirms the inverse relationship between price and affordability. Seychelles, with a price of $16.50, and Namibia ($14.78), are both the most expensive and lowest-ranked countries, making them statistical and policy outliers. Greater variability (std. dev. = 3.91) in the bottom 10 suggests systemic inconsistency in pricing and affordability, whereas the top 10 cluster around a stable, low-cost model (std. dev. = 0.41).
These higher prices are largely a result of limited market competition, often with 1–2 dominant operators in countries like Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Gabon. Most of Seychelles’ mobile network infrastructure is imported, and there is limited competition among service providers. Seychelles has a low population, which makes it a relatively high-income country compared to other African countries, relative to GDP per capita. Small population size in Seychelles results in low economies of scale because it makes it difficult to recoup infrastructure costs affordably. Also, Seychelles and other island states like Comoros and Cape Verde face geographical and logistical challenges, which complicate the infrastructure rollout and increase reliance on costly undersea cable access. In countries like the Central African Republic, regulatory frameworks are weak and cost-based pricing models are absent. Also, high costs in fragile and post-conflict contexts, such as the DRC, may be due to limited investment caused by political instability or damaged or outdated telecommunications infrastructure.
These cost barriers are reflected in regional digital divides, where West and East Africa outperform Central Africa and parts of Southern Africa in mobile affordability and access. This has downstream effects on digital inclusion, education, economic participation, and access to digital public services.
Regional implications and policy considerations
- East and West Africa lead through inclusive policy approaches: Countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Ghana have achieved low data prices through policies promoting state-led rollouts, infrastructure sharing, and strong market competition. These strategies enable wider rural coverage and affordability by spreading infrastructure costs across large user bases.
- Structural challenges drive high prices in Central Africa and island states: Countries such as the DRC, Seychelles, and Comoros face high costs due to limited competition, small populations, geographic isolation, and reliance on expensive undersea cables. These barriers prevent economies of scale and make mobile data unaffordable for most users.
- Exchange rate volatility distorts affordability comparisons: RAMP Index pricing in USD reflects currency movements, meaning affordability rankings may shift even if actual local tariffs remain constant. This highlights the need for complementary indicators that use local currency or purchasing power adjustments.
- Market concentration and weak regulation deepen the digital divide: In bottom-ranked countries like Namibia and the Central African Republic, limited operator competition and ineffective pricing oversight have led to persistent high costs. Without regulatory reforms and regional coordination, these disparities will continue to hinder equitable digital inclusion.
The RAMP Index Q2 2025 underscores the persistent disparities in mobile data pricing across Africa, with affordability closely tied to regulatory environments, market dynamics, and structural conditions. While countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Rwanda demonstrate that targeted policy interventions can drive down costs and expand access, others remain excluded due to monopolistic markets, fragile infrastructure, and geographic or political constraints. To close the affordability gap and enable meaningful digital inclusion, regional cooperation and evidence-informed policies are essential, particularly those that promote competition, infrastructure sharing, cost-based pricing, and localised investment. Without such measures, Africa’s digital transformation risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than overcoming them.
