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15Feb

#KeepItOn: Nigeria Urged to Ensure Online Communications Remain Accessible During Elections

Author admin Posted on

By Juliet Nanfuka |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has joined the #KeepItOn coalition in urging the Nigerian Authorities to ensure that access to digital communications remains open before, during and after the elections which take place on February 16, 2019.

The call implores the state to reaffirm its commitment to keep the internet during this critical political time. It also notes that a shutdown down could cost the country an estimated $134,251,654 per day in direct economic costs, and impact on the realization of economic, social, and cultural rights broadly.

Disruptions to online communications contribute to economic impacts which persist far beyond the days in which access is disrupted due to systemic effects which harm efficiency throughout the economy. Internet shutdowns, however short-lived, undermine economic growth, and erode business confidence as global and national perceptions on the offending country are also affected.

Framework for Calculating the Economic Impact of Internet Shutdowns in Sub-Sahara Africa

Meanwhile, concerns of a shutdown have remained among citizens, leading to information being shared on how to stay online in the event of a network disruption.

Increasingly, disruptions to communications have occurred around election times and during public protest often related to the political regime.  Among some of the cases  include  Equatorial Guinea which in November 2016 blocked access to the internet and to opposition websites ahead of a nationwide election; Uganda also in 2016, blocked access to social media sites and mobile money transactions on two occasions due to election related events; while that same year, Gabon blocked social media access and also imposed a curfew on internet access following widespread conflicts disputed presidential election results. Last year, Togo interrupted communication following public protests against President Gnassingbe, whose family has ruled the country for over half a century. At the start of this year, DR Congo blocked access to “preserve public order after ‘fictitious results’ started circulating on social media.”  

See the joint letter on keeping the internet open and secure here.

29Sep

Economic Impact of Internet Disruptions in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Report Launch |
Internet shutdowns in Sub-Saharan Africa have cost the region up to US$ 237 million since 2015, according to a report to be released by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). Using a newly developed framework, the report estimates the cost of internet shutdowns in 10 African countries, and notes that the economic losses caused by an internet disruption persist far beyond the days on which the shutdown occurs, because network disruptions unsettle supply chains and have systemic effects that harm efficiency throughout the economy.
Despite the increasing benefits associated with access to the internet and the contribution of the ICT sector to GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa, since 2015 there have been state-initiated internet disruptions in at least 12 countries in the region.
While it is clear how internet shutdowns affect users’ fundamental rights, such as the right of access to information and freedom of expression, the impact of disruptions on a country’s economy and citizens’ livelihoods is rarely as clearly articulated due to a lack of verifiable data. That made it necessary to develop a framework that can be used to estimate the economic cost of shutdowns in SSA.
The report shows the losses in USD terms which each of the countries studied lost during the duration of the network disruptions. The report also shows that:

  • The economic cost of an internet disruption persist far beyond the days on which the disruption occurs because the disruption unsettle supply chains and have systemic effects, harming efficiency throughout the economy.
  • Internet disruptions, however short-lived, undermine economic growth, disrupt the delivery of critical services, erode business confidence, and raise a country’s risk profile
  • Shutdowns have a high economic impact at micro and macro levels, adversely affecting the livelihoods of citizens, undermining the profitability of business enterprises, and reducing the GDP and competitiveness of countries that implement them.

See: A Framework for Calculating the Economic Impact of Internet Disruptions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Disruptions have been witnessed during national exams as was the case in Ethiopia, during elections in countries such as Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Republic of Congo, and Uganda. Public protests have also led to internet disruptions in countries like Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, and Togo.
Internet shutdowns have been witnessed in countries, some of which have very low internet penetration and usage figures. According to the ITU, Cameroon, Uganda and Niger have internet usage percentages of 25%, 21.9% and 4.4% respectively. The three countries have experienced internet disruptions for 93 days, 6 days and 3 days respectively between 2016 and 2017. The significant contribution of the ICT sector and of more prevalent internet services to the economy and society cannot be disputed. This is more so in most African economies where the contribution of the ICT sector to GDP is on average 5%, a contribution greater than in many countries in Europe and Asia.
The report will be launched today, Friday September 29, 2017, at the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa which is currently being held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
About the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2017 (FIFAfrica17): This year, FIFAfrica17 is co-hosted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and the Association for Progressive Communication (APC). The two organisations have a history of advocating for the advancement of digital rights in Africa and beyond. The discussions of Forum are built around themes which engage with the 13 principles of the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms (www.africaninternetrights.org).
Additional information on the evolution of the Forum can be found on www.internetfreedom.africa