- Africa’s burgeoning digital economy requires reliable Internet to continue its rapid growth.
- Internet shutdowns stifle this growth, resulting in lost revenue, frozen payments, disrupted services, and rising distrust in digital systems.
- Governments and stakeholders must enact legal safeguards, create transparent emergency protocols, promote inclusive digital governance, and invest in infrastructure resilience.
In today’s Africa, digital connectivity is not a luxury; it’s the infrastructure of everyday life. Mobile money powers daily transactions, social platforms drive commerce, and cross-border trade depends on digital logistics. But when the Internet is shut down—intentionally and abruptly—this entire system grinds to a halt. What’s often seen as a political lever is, in reality, an economic time bomb.
Internet shutdowns, defined as deliberate disruptions to digital communications, are becoming an increasingly common policy tool across the continent. While their political motivations vary, their economic consequences are strikingly consistent: lost revenue, frozen payments, disrupted services, and rising distrust in digital systems.
The Internet Society Pulse NetLoss Calculator offers one way to measure this impact. Even short-term shutdowns can cost millions of dollars, particularly affecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), cross-border trade, and mobile payment ecosystems the most. But beyond lost GDP, these disruptions are undermining Africa’s digital future.
The Real-World Cost of Shutdowns
Africa’s digital economy is rapidly growing. E-commerce is projected to reach $940 billion by 2032, with mobile payments and digital services expanding across borders. Under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the promise of a unified digital market is within reach.
Yet this momentum is fragile. Often informal, mobile-first, and reliant on social media or fintech tools, SMEs can’t function without reliable Internet. For these businesses, a shutdown isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s an existential threat.
When governments pull the plug, payment processors go offline, digital trade stalls, and banks and logistics services become unreachable. Even brick-and-mortar businesses now depend on Internet-connected point-of-sale systems. In such an environment, Internet access isn’t secondary, it’s foundational.
Trust, Investment, and Inclusion Are Also at Stake
The visible economic costs are only part of the story. Shutdowns also erode trust in public institutions and digital infrastructure. Citizens question whether online services—banking, health systems, education platforms—are stable or safe.
Worse, these disruptions signal volatility to investors. Sectors like fintech, digital infrastructure, and e-commerce depend on regulatory predictability. When connectivity is used as a political tool, capital flows elsewhere.
There’s also the risk of digital poverty. Repeated shutdowns disproportionately affect rural areas, women entrepreneurs, and youth, widening existing inequalities and stalling progress on digital inclusion.
Legal Momentum: A Glimpse of Hope
Recent judicial decisions offer signs of change.
In May 2025, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice ruled that Senegal’s Internet shutdown during the 2023 protests was unlawful.
Soon after, Kenya’s High Court issued an injunction against arbitrary Internet disruptions, reinforcing that connectivity is a constitutional matter.
These rulings affirm what many already know: the Internet is not optional infrastructure. It is essential for development, participation, and economic resilience.
Four Steps to Protect Africa’s Digital Future
To prevent shutdowns from derailing Africa’s digital economy, governments and stakeholders need to promptly:
- Enact Legal Safeguards: Codify clear legal limits on Internet shutdowns, ensuring due process and protecting fundamental rights.
- Create Transparent Emergency Protocols: Where disruptions are necessary, ensure they are lawful, limited in scope and duration, and include oversight.
- Promote Inclusive Digital Governance: Involve civil society, industry, and technical communities in shaping Internet policy, building legitimacy and resilience.
- Invest in Infrastructure Resilience: Ensure reliable connectivity, especially in underserved areas, and reduce the vulnerabilities that enable centralised disruptions.
To thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, African countries must treat Internet access like electricity or water: a basic utility that enables life, growth, and opportunity.
We cannot afford to treat connectivity as collateral damage in political battles. It’s time to turn the lights back on, permanently.
For further insights and detailed analysis, read the full article on the World Economic Forum here.
Amged B. Shwehdy is a technology strategist and social entrepreneur specialising in digital transformation and policy, dedicated to empowering communities and driving innovation and change.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Internet Society.
Photo by Random Institute on Unsplash