Nigeria has the Least Affordable Internet, Global Report Shows

Nigeria has the least affordable internet in the world, according to the Digital Quality of Life Index by Surfshark which takes into account the quality of digital wellbeing in 85 countries (essentially 81% of the global population).

In Nigeria, people have to work for 27 minutes 55 seconds to afford 1GB of mobile internet while the global average is 10 minutes. To pay for the cheapest broadband Internet, Nigerians have to work for 33 hours 42 minutes.

The overall affordability is measured by combining the affordability of the cheapest mobile and broadband plans available in Nigeria. And essentially, people in 75% of the researched countries have to work more than the global average to afford the Internet.

“Any country’s digital advancement has a tangible relation to its economic potential and population’s overall wellbeing. In the COVID-19 era, it’s even more important as most of the employees face working full time online,” says VytautasKaziukonis, CEO of Surfshark.

“Since work from home realities vary widely by location, Surfshark’s research on internet affordability and quality aims to establish a common ground for further conversation.”

Nigerian Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu revealed that the government is now “more determined to put additional satellites in the orbit to enhance the realization of its developmental agenda for space technology” according to reports. 

At the Space Dialogue and National Media Conference 2020, Onu said ‘‘we will make sure additional satellites are put in orbit. I assure you that the ministry will continue to do the best it can to ensure that additional satellites are put in the orbit that will help in the direction the nation is going.”

According to the report, “the administration believes so much in the ability of science and technology in the transformation of the Nigerian economy from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy.”

Onu added, ‘‘without space science and technology, it will be very difficult for Nigeria to compete with the rest of the world. We should aim to be the best in the world and this is achievable. We are prepared to make NARSDA compete with the best space agencies in the world.”

And this will be achieved through the implementation of five executive policies that aim to support the development of the Science and Technology Ministry.

‘‘We have introduced five additional policies in the last five year and if implemented, especially the EO 005, Nigeria will achieve what China has achieved in a short time.’’