Internet disruption sweeps across African nations

A widespread internet outage has gripped several countries across Africa, causing major disruptions to online services and communication for millions of users.

Reports of extensive outages emerged on Thursday, affecting nations including South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. While services have since been largely restored in Liberia and South Africa, the cause of the disruptions remains unclear, leaving frustrated customers seeking answers.

Cloudflare Radar, a service providing information on internet connections, noted a concerning pattern in the timing of the disruptions, affecting countries from the northern to the southern regions of Africa.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) attributed the outage to damage sustained by international undersea cables along the West African coastline, particularly in Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, with consequential disruptions reported in Portugal.

According to experts, undersea cables can be susceptible to damage from various factors, including debris, undersea earth slides, or accidental/intentional damage where cables are buried underground.

The impact of the internet blackout has been profound, particularly for those reliant on online connectivity for their livelihoods. Individuals and businesses across affected nations have faced significant challenges, from communication difficulties to disruptions in online transactions and business operations.
Internet connectivity plummeted to alarming lows in some regions, with Ivory Coast experiencing a staggering drop to around just 4% connectivity on Thursday morning, according to Netblocks, a cybersecurity and internet connectivity tracking service.

In South Africa, Vodacom reported intermittent connectivity issues for its customers due to multiple undersea cable failures, while a fault was identified in Nigeria’s MainOne cable system serving Lagos, the commercial hub.

The Liberian government confirmed reports of internet disruption, impacting basic internet access, social media usage, and international transactions. Citizens expressed frustration over the significant impact on their daily lives and businesses, highlighting challenges in receiving payments and conducting transactions through mobile money platforms.

In Ghana, the National Communications Authority (NCA) attributed the outage to multiple disruptions in undersea cables, further exacerbating the widespread internet blackout across the region.

As affected nations work to restore full internet connectivity, the incident underscores the critical importance of robust and resilient internet infrastructure to support socio-economic activities and ensure connectivity for citizens across Africa.