‘Nigeria’s data cost lowest in West Africa’

With an average data cost of $0.38 for a gigabyte, mobile data in Nigeria is one of the cheapest in the world and one of the lowest in Africa. This position was affirmed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and revealed in the GSMA report on “The role of mobile technology in driving the digital economy in Nigeria.”

“According to the ITU, the cost in Nigeria (as a percentage of GNI per capita) for a basic data-only package is the lowest in West Africa and well below the average across Africa,” the GSMA report stated.

In comparison to Nigeria, other African countries, such as Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa have higher data costs, with Kenya averaging $0.59 per gigabyte, Ethiopia with an average of $0.68 per gigabyte, Ghana, $0.40; Cote d’Ivoire, $0.67; Senegal, $0.84 and South Africa at $1.77 per gigabyte. Notably, the United States of America offers data rates at an average of $6 for a gigabyte.

Already, Nigerian telecommunications operators are currently advocating for a tariff increase, to address the pressing challenges the sector is faced with, due to currency devaluation, inflation and the overall Nigerian economic downturn in the past months.

MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Karl Toriola, during a recent interview, highlighted the diverse challenges the Nigerian telecommunications industry had to scale through in the past year due to the state of the Nigerian economy, emphasising the need for tariff adjustments to ensure the sustainability of the sector.