Africa is at a crossroads, confronting the issue of bad internet access at a time when connectivity is critical for international communication.
Despite the fact that Africa has numerous prospects for digital innovation and technological advancement, many Africans continue to experience frustratingly slow and intermittent internet connections.
Slow internet connections have long been a barrier to advancement in different areas in Africa, ranging from business and education to healthcare and governance; as a result, Africa appears to be catching up with other regions in the technology realm.
Slow internet speeds have a greater impact in isolated and rural locations where internet and mobile adoption is still low. Even in urban areas with more developed infrastructure, challenges such as capacity restrictions and antiquated technology contribute to slow internet speeds.
Despite progress in the continent’s internet and mobile penetration rates, Africa continues to have among the slowest internet speeds.
While a young population and a rapid adoption of new technologies are expected to reverse the continent’s connectivity woes, the truth as it stands is that Africa has among of the slowest internet speeds of this period.
Having said that, these are the ten African countries with the slowest internet connections at the start of the new year. This section includes statistics from the Speedtest Global Index. The numbers are from January 2024 and represent the median figure.
Speedtest Global Index ranks 181 countries throughout the world.
| Rank | Country | Internet speed | Global rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Niger | 5.22 | 178th |
| 2. | The Gambia | 5.34 | 177th |
| 3. | Burundi | 5.74 | 176th |
| 4. | Botswana | 7.25 | 175th |
| 5. | Liberia | 7.90 | 172nd |
| 6. | Sudan | 8.66 | 170th |
| 7. | Ethiopia | 8.70 | 169th |
| 8. | Tunisia | 9.02 | 168th |
| 9. | Cameroon | 9.22 | 167th |
| 10. | Libya | 9.56 | 166th |