As the digital landscape expands across the continent, access to affordable data has become crucial for economic growth, education, and connectivity.
However, data affordability continues to be a pressing issue in many African nations, with several countries ranking among the world’s most expensive places for data access.
This issue is critical considering Africa’s rapid adoption of mobile technology and its potential to leverage the internet for innovation and development.
Several factors are responsible for elevated data costs in select African nations. Among the challenges are a lack of competition among telecommunications providers, infrastructure deficiencies, and certain government policies.
As a result, many people in these nations face barriers to accessing online resources, which can limit opportunities for social and economic advancement.
The cable.co.uk, a leading broadband, TV & phone comparison site recently released a report for the average price of one gigabyte (1GB) derived from an extensive analysis of over 5,600 mobile data packages offered across the globe.
According to the report, here is a list of African countries with the most expensive data prices in the world from June to September 2023:
| Rank | Country | Data Price (1GB/$) | Global rank |
| 1 | Zimbabwe | $43.75 | 237 |
| 2 | South Sudan | $23.70 | 234 |
| 3 | Central African Republic | $10.90 | 230 |
| 4 | Zambia | $8.01 | 227 |
| 5 | Seychelles | $5.43 | 217 |
| 6 | Mali | $4.56 | 210 |
| 7 | Chad | $4.09 | 207 |
| 8 | Gabon | $4.09 | 206 |
| 9 | Gambia | $3.56 | 202 |
| 10 | Burkina Faso | $3.27 | 199 |
Source: businessinsiderafrica