Internet freedom in Africa: Taxes, Shutdowns And a need for change

The internet in Africa: why freedom is essential

Over the last two decades, Africa has seen mixed progress when it comes to widely available and affordable internet connection. In 2000, most countries across the continent had an internet penetration of around 1% or less, reaching an average of 2% in 2005.

Boosting growth required considerable reform to breathe fresh air into a stagnant telecommunications sector that was monopolised by state entities, and to a lesser extent, private companies. However, the liberalisation of the Africa telecommunications sector in the late 2000s, an influx of considerable investment and infrastructure development and the increased availability of cheap smartphones changed the landscape – with growth in internet penetration from 2% in 2005 to 28% in 2017, the fastest growth of any continent.

In 2019, the internet is continuing to reshape many aspects of life in Africa. Mobile money services are booming and empowering millions of users across Africa to make payments and access microfinancing services. In my country, Zimbabwe, the internet has contributed immensely to financial literacy, largely due to readily available consumer education and information.  

Controlling governments, limited privacy and shutdowns

In recent times, some governments across Africa have taken steps to increase surveillance and limit freedom online.

Over time, governments in Africa have introduced e-government portals and digital identity programmes that require citizens to provide detailed personal information, including biometrics for voters’ cards, identity cards, and driving licences. There are also many examples of mandatory registration for SIM cards – which require personal information, including valid ID or even biometrics.

This increased surveillance capacity of some governments is a big concern, with some governments working with technology companies to build mass facial recognition programmes that are likely to undermine consumer privacy. This capacity has been accompanied by tighter regulatory control of the internet, including the now widespread and restrictive measures such as censorship, filtering, blocking, throttling and internet shutdowns evident in several countries.

Internet shutdowns are on the rise globally, with 106 documented shutdowns in 2017 rising to 196 shutdowns in 2018 – Africa and Asia being the most affected regions. Colleagues from member organisations in Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan, amongst others, have been outspoken about how deteriorating internet freedom in Africa is having a negative impact on consumers. Sudanese Consumers Protection Society (SCPS) reported in June 2019 that an internet shutdown left many consumers without access to communication tools, information and essential services such as mobile banking. 

Taxing our online services

Perhaps one of the notable and concerning phenomena in recent years is the use of taxation to undermine citizens’ use of the internet. Such measures are limiting how many citizens can access digital technologies and use them to hold governments to account. In other instances, governments have been eager to increase revenues from the telecom sector, and particularly, from streaming services, which they claim are eating into the revenues of licensed telecom operators. In the last two years, enhancing taxes on airtime, data bundles and social media access appears to be evolving as a pattern with most African countries. These costs are usually passed on to consumers, raising the cost of internet access which is already out of reach for many.