Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda are the latest African countries to experience internet disruption after Nigeria, Ghana, and other West African nations in March. These outages have far-reaching effects on commerce and daily life on the continent and the frequency of their occurrence have raised fears that Africa’s internet is fragile and vulnerable. To combat this problem and increase the resilience of its Africa’s internet, telecom regulatory authorities must put in place contingencies that will enable faster responses during emergencies. Among other things, they should facilitate interoperability within regions and integrate the submarine cables that crisscross the continent’s oceans into critical national infrastructure. If these measures are put in place, there is no doubt that Africa’s internet will be less susceptible to such disruptions and its internet economy will continue to thrive.
SOURCE: SEMAFOR