Technology
Affordability Barrier to Internet Access in Nigeria—Research
By Dipo Olowookere
Compelling Mozilla-backed research, carried out by Research ICT Africa, finds that significant barriers to internet access remains in four African countries – Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
The research aims to understand, from a comparative perspective, how the citizens use the internet when data is subsidised and when it is not.
Knowing that affordability is one of the primary barriers to Internet access and particular optimal use, the main objective of the focus groups was to obtain qualitative information that reflects the perceptions of female and male Internet users, new users, and non-Internet users from urban and rural locations about how people use the Internet.
A 2016 International Telecommunications Union report estimates that only about 25 percent of the population of Africa has access to the internet.
It was discovered that in all the countries, across demographics, access to subsidised data did not result significantly in new users going online.
Also, use of subsidised data is just one of many strategies employed by users to manage costs in these four African countries.
Furthermore, uptake of zero rating varied across the four countries. Awareness was low and scepticism of free services was high in Nigeria, whereas in Rwanda bundles with unlimited WhatsApp and Facebook were very popular. In Kenya and South Africa, the zero-rated services were welcomed for their cost-reducing nature.
In addition, there was substantial interest and uptake in Equal Rating-compliant, partially subsidized data bundles that provide access to the entire internet not just some parts of it (e.g., Cell C’s offering of 250MB between 1 am and 7 am for R6 in South Africa or an MTN bundle in Rwanda for Rwf 800 (USD 0.96) that provide 24 hours unlimited data).
Likewise, poor network quality and coverage limited the consumption of subsidised data since some respondents, especially in rural areas of Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa, reported that telcos with those offerings did not have coverage in their area. Indeed, many of these users only have access via the most expensive operator in that country.
Equally, women face additional barriers to internet use, including concern of being exposed to inappropriate content online and its consequences in their intimate relationships and family responsibilities.
“Our research reveals that a significant urban-rural divide remains in opportunities to access the internet.” said Dr Alison Gillwald, Executive Director of Research ICT Africa. “Too often the debate over zero rating glosses over the fact that many people in rural communities don’t even have access to the best subsidized offerings and have to spend largely disproportionate amounts of their already low income on mobile access, and that’s assuming they can even find electricity to charge their devices.”
“Given all the controversy around zero rating, it’s surprising to see how few research respondents in these African countries actually use or depend on zero rated data. We are, however, seeing a lot of interest in Equal Rating compliant models which provide access to all of the internet, not just some parts of it,” said Jochai Ben-Avie, Senior Global Policy Manager at Mozilla. “More must be done to connect the unconnected. This research makes clear that it’s critical we all focus more on barriers like healthy competition outside urban areas, electricity, digital literacy, and gender power relations.”
Mozilla-backed research reveals affordability a barrier to internet access in Nigeria
Zero rated services are still relatively new to the Nigerian market, with Airtel launching Facebook’s Free Basics and Facebook Flex only last year. Awareness and use of zero rating remains low in Nigeria, a country which enjoys some of the cheapest data prices in Africa.
Results of the research showed that many rural users see the internet as their access to the civilized world and the gateway to the places around the globe where they have friends and family.
In addition, overall awareness and use of the internet has gained traction especially as social interactions, business or career enabler, and majority of participants, whether in rural or urban areas, rank the purchase of data high on their personal expense list.
Furthermore, there is a general belief that mobile network operators charge a hidden tariff, and whatever airtime is on the phone will be eventually deducted by the operator if one subscribes to a subsidized service.
Also, many non-users want to use a “big phone” (a smartphone) and would rather wait until they can afford one than use a more limited version of the internet.
Though the price of brand new smartphones keeps dropping and they can be bought for as low as $20, affordability challenges persist.
“Even in a country with some of the lowest rates for data and devices in Africa, the cost of buying a smartphone in Nigeria is still a challenge for many,” said Dr Alison Gillwald, Executive Director or Research ICT Africa. “Affordability gets disproportionate attention, but we need to do much more to improve digital literacy and supply side issues like network quality and speed.”
“This research demonstrates that Nigerians want access to all of the internet, not just some parts of it,” said Jochai Ben-Avie, Senior Global Policy Manager at Mozilla. “If we’re to bring all the internet to all people, we need to do more to improve digital literacy and understanding of the internet, especially among low-income individuals and those in rural and deep rural communities. At Mozilla we believe in equal rating for all internet users so that this shared global resource is not held hostage by the wealthy.”
Mozilla-backed research reveals Kenyans offline due to prohibitive costs and security fears
The Communications Authority of Kenya reports that some 38 million people – about 82 percent of the population – were online in 2016. The four mobile operators in the country have 4G internet connections on mobile but not in all parts of the country.
Researchers’ gathered that social media tops the list of uses for the internet and there is even a perception among some users that the internet is about social media just like the price of data bundles and internet-enabled phones render the cost of doing what most users want to do online prohibitive to many.
Also, strategic solutions for high costs include working late into the night before reward bundle periods expire, visiting friends who have Wi-Fi at home, and using multiple promotions from different operators, while even when people have smartphones, they do not always carry them for offline security reasons. In particular, there are concerns that, thieves may frequent areas with free public Wi-Fi in order to steal patrons’ internet enabled devices.
Furthermore, national network coverage was seen to be a challenge for both voice and data particularly in rural areas.
“While internet access is good in Kenya relative to elsewhere in Africa, real barriers remain to internet use,” said Research ICT Africa Executive Director Dr Alison Gillwald. “If we don’t look beyond access issues to the real concerns around privacy and security, for example, we’ll never bring all of the internet to all people.”
“One participant in this study reported concerns about getting skin cancer from their phone, proving there’s a lot more we still need to do to improve digital (and health) literacy,” said Mozilla Senior Global Policy Manager Jochai Ben-Avie. “At the same time, Kenyan internet penetration is on par with some of the most developed countries, and that’s due to the ingenuity of Kenyans to find ways to connect despite the relatively high cost of data.”
Mozilla-backed research reveals heavy use of subsidized data in Rwanda
Internet use and access in Rwanda has been exploding largely due to the Government of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 to enable Rwanda to leap-frog the key stages of industrialization and transform her agro-based economy into a service, information-rich and knowledge-based one that is globally competitive. While internet penetration is relatively high, the diversity of content accessed by participants in this study is relatively low. This is of concern.
Results of the research showed that most participants only use a very limited number of websites and services, and make heavy use of subsidized data.
While the use of subsidized data services allows mobile network operators to retain a large number of subscribers that use the internet, an Airtel representative was quoted as saying the company is considering ending their current zero rating offers because the majority of users that are benefiting from zero rated services are no longer using other services, and therefore are not spending on data.
It was also found out that the types of bundles and packs from the three MNOs keep changing almost every week due to tough competition going on, and some promotion offers – including zero rated services – are not even publicized on the website to prevent competitors access to the information.
In addition, the majority of participants with mid or high income when asked how they would react if subsidized data was no longer available, responded that they may reduce the time spent on the internet, while participants with low incomes responded that they may stop using the internet.
Significant access barriers remain, especially in remote areas, including the cost of data as well as illiteracy and lack of understanding of foreign languages to manipulate devices and understand internet content, the research discovered.
“Rwanda has been a real leader in bringing people online, including through innovative models like internet connected buses and other public Wi-Fi efforts,” said Dr Alison Gillwald, Executive Director or Research ICT Africa. “The limited number of sites and services Rwandans use points to the need for the government and other stakeholders to consider issues beyond access that leave many Rwandans accessing just a small part of the internet.”
“While it’s inspiring to see the boom in internet access in Rwanda, many Rwandans are still stuck in the walled gardens of subsidized services and haven’t experienced the full diversity of the open internet,” said Jochai Ben-Avie, Mozilla’s Senior Global Policy Manager. “Rwanda is a fascinating testbed of different experiments in connecting the unconnected and we hope the Government of Rwanda and other stakeholders will focus on solutions like Equal Rating that seek to bring all of the internet to all people.”
The research sees opportunity and a greater outlook in the future of internet use for these countries. Infrastructural issues still need to be addressed in rural areas, in particular to increase quality of service, which would allow users to choose any operator offering the cheapest product. The intensity of use could be enhanced through redirecting universal services funds directed at access, often by subsidising the already planned roll out of services, towards supporting the rollout of public Wi-Fi points at all public facilities such as schools, clinics, libraries and police stations.
Other factors limiting the digital participation of the poor and unskilled, particularly women, will require policy interventions than extend way beyond digital policy to the much greater challenges of human development. Without interventions to redress broader social and economic inequality in society more the entry of more sophisticated services and devices will amplify digital inequality.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The chief executive of Dimensions Data Limited, Mr Gbenga Olabiyi, has blamed road construction for 60 per cent of network outages caused by fibre cuts.
Speaking recently at the National Dig-Once Policy Forum, which marked the 8th Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo), he drew attention to the gap between the infrastructure Nigeria has and what it can actually deliver if a coordinated framework is adopted.
“Nigeria currently has about 35,000 kilometres of fibre in the ground, yet only 16 per cent of Nigerians are connected to it. Broadband penetration stands at 45 per cent. Lagos alone has a penetration rate of over 70 per cent,” Mr Olabiyi said.
He emphasised that the failure to address the missing fibre link over the years has led to saturation of connectivity in urban centres, while the hinterlands are left either unconnected or poorly served.
At the same programme, convened by Mr Omobayo Azeez, stakeholders in the telecommunications sector called for the adoption of the dig-once policy to lower the costs of fibre deployment, reduce infrastructure damage, improve safety, and shorten rollout timelines.
Quoting the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), it was noted that of the 50,000 fibre cut incidents recorded in a year, about 30,000, which represents 60 per cent, occurred during road construction and rehabilitation.
Stakeholders thus called for a review of existing road construction and building codes to accommodate the installation of fibre conduits in the original design standard of the infrastructure planning.
“What Dig-Once offers is an opportunity to correct this,” the president of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria, Mr Tony Emoekpere, stated.
He added that even operators frequently damage one another’s cables during repeated digging, thus increasing repair costs and service disruptions.
The Deputy Director of Strategic Business Initiatives at ipNX Nigeria Limited, Mr Segun Okuneye, said under the dig-once policy, road contractors should install ducts during construction.
He said the repeated excavation of the road leads to incessant destruction of existing infrastructure and triggers service blackouts with operators bearing additional costs of repair of replacing the fibre.
Also, the chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr Gbenga Adebayo, said operators should focus not just on digging once but on eliminating unnecessary digging altogether by sharing existing infrastructure and jointly replacing legacy cables.
“Early fibres laid 15 to 20 years ago are now ageing, and the industry needs a plan to replace them without everyone digging the same routes again,” he said.
One of the most powerful ways to modernize a support team is by optimizing support operations with AI automation.
When implemented thoughtfully, automation doesn’t replace human agents—it elevates them.
Less duplicated work‚ resolving issues faster‚ and providing a consistent experience on different channels․
Since there are many content formats in the current content environment‚ the most effective formats for guidelines are those that are structured‚ practical‚ and focused on “what you can actually do,”‚ as opposed to abstract theory․
This article follows that same intent‚ and seeks to document the journey to better customer support automation‚ without mentioning brand names or links․
1. Automate first‑contact triage with smart workflows
One of the common entry points into support automation is to respond to end customers’ requests as soon as they are received‚ rather than making them wait for a human agent to pick up a chat channel or email, as is customary․
This is done through clever workflows that ask a few questions‚ qualify and classify the issue, and recommend a next best action․
This can mean transferring to a human agent‚ directing the user to a specific help article‚ or beginning a guided self-service flow right within the chat․
It reduces the friction to get started and shows customers they are being heard from the first message․
It reduces the burden on agents because they only see tickets that require human judgement․
In the best implementations‚ the bot feels like a helpful assistant and not a hindrance to the customer reaching a resolution․
2. Route tickets with intelligence, not just speed
Responsiveness is still important‚ but smart routing is what takes automation from simple ticketing to responsive‚ scalable support․
Instead of shuffling tickets to the agent available‚ the system can route based on the subject‚ difficulty‚ language‚ or even expected resolution․
This way, billing problems are routed to billing experts‚ complaints about product setup are routed to technical experts‚ and routine status inquiries are routed to agents who can handle volume․
For example‚ clever routing could send high-touch or high-stakes tickets to a more senior agent or tickets that ask the same question repeatedly to agents specialized in a specific workflow․
It’s this kind of intelligence that allows teams to be faster and happier when they are thinking of routing-based automation beyond simple round robin distribution․
3. Turn FAQs into self‑service journeys
Another area the current content focuses on is changing the format of FAQs into more interactive self-service experiences that guide customers through flows‚ checklists, or conversational search‚ as opposed to serving them a long list of links‚ making it easier to discover a solution․
This reduces the need to create tickets in the first instance and reduces the support workload by focusing on more high-value ‚ complex interactions․
An organized help center can examine common patterns in failed searches and proactively suggest the most appropriate articles or troubleshooting steps․
It can also serve as the backbone for mini-chatbots that can guide the user through setup‚ configuration‚ or troubleshooting paths without opening a ticket․
When teams invest in AI automation to better support their operation‚ a self-service capability is often one of the first investments made․
4. Automate routine follow‑ups and escalations
In modern ticketing systems‚ the entire life cycle of the ticket from its creation can be automated․
Instead of relying on agents to remember to do a status update‚ a satisfaction survey‚ or an escalation‚ rules can be set up to automate these processes․
For example‚ if a ticket has been placed in the “pending customer reply” state for a specified period of time‚ a notification to the customer can be sent out to remind them‚ or if a complaint has not been resolved within any specified period‚ the ticket can be escalated to a manager․
The result is processes that are always followed‚ never missed SLAs‚ less manual work‚ and agents are freed up from the tedious tracking of time and sending reminders to focus on resolving problems․
A mix of automation and human intervention is often the optimal solution for a better experience for customers and agents alike․
5. Use AI to draft and summarize responses
AI-assisted writing has become the norm to scale support teams‚ with the tool helping staff draft an initial response‚ summarize long email threads‚ and suggest templated replies which agents personalize․
It is especially useful in high-volume or multi-language support environments‚ where replies to common questions must be timely and consistent․
This type of automation doesn’t replace agents‚ but acts as a force multiplier for them‚ ensuring that baseline questions are answered correctly and on-brand‚ while still enabling subtlety and empathy in less obvious situations․
Some teams use AI to translate or simplify support communications for different audiences‚ enabling them to support global customers without needing to hire additional staff․
6. Automate onboarding and welcome communications
Automation can also play an important role in onboarding‚ by providing an automated welcome sequence for new customers to help them get set up‚ implement best practices‚ and learn about key features and resources․
These sequences can incorporate email‚ in-app messages‚ and chat prompts to create a cross-channel experience․
To the support staff who deal with these customers‚ this reduces the number of “I don’t know where to start” help desk questions that pile up in the first few days after signing up․
Perhaps more considerably‚ walking users through the most important workflows has contributed to increased activation and retention rates․
One of the most visible ways to use AI automation in support is by transitioning from firefighting to empowering customers and agents with self-service and insights․
7. Trigger proactive support with behavior signals
An even more advanced form of automation involves proactively reaching out to customers before they reach out to you by identifying usage trends or risk signals based on the way they are using the product․
For example‚ when a user repeats the same action‚ fails to complete a key workflow‚ or is beginning to disengage‚ a system could send a personalized message or offer assistance before the customer churns․
These models may be based on behavioral analytics and artificial intelligence models‚ which have tracked tens of thousands of data points‚ events‚ and user behaviors to identify signals that can be used in a support flow to prevent and surface issues before they arise to improve customer satisfaction․
As well‚ proactive messaging must be finely tuned so as not to be perceived as spam‚ and teams iterate based on feedback and response rates․
8. Automate feedback collection and analysis
Many teams capture this feedback automatically as part of their improvement processes‚ for example‚ automatically sending out a customer satisfaction survey once a ticket is closed or analyzing customer messages to understand the sentiment․
This can also support testing‚ benchmarking‚ tracking performance versus targets‚ identifying trends and patterns to tackle, and prioritizing product or process changes․
For support leaders‚ this automation means raw interaction data is transformed into structured insights․
Instead of manually reviewing tickets‚ they view dashboards containing information about common problems‚ emerging topics‚ agent performance‚ etc․
Another effective way to improve efficiency in support is through AI automation․
Every interaction can be a learning and improvement opportunity․
9. Integrate omnichannel experiences
Omnichannel integration is a common thread in customer support automation workflows․
Customers do not care what channel they are in․
Customers expect the context to move with them as they continue the conversation via chat‚ email‚ phone‚ social media, or in an in-app message․
Automation across channels offers the advantage that each interaction builds on prior interactions‚ instead of beginning with a blank slate․
For example‚ if a customer starts a chat conversation and later sends an email‚ we want to show the chat conversation in the history view for the email conversation‚ and vice versa‚ so that the agent doesn’t have to ask the customer for context each time․
This is a feature that differentiates fragmented support experiences from single-threaded experiences‚ and is a common area of focus for teams modernizing their support workflows․
10. Build a feedback‑driven automation roadmap
The best customer support automation is not a single project․
Top teams start by identifying manual activities that take the most time or happen most often‚ and then determine which of those can be fully or partially automated․
They roll out gradual changes and analyze their effects in order to improve them based on real-world data․
This roadmap often includes:
- Pinpointing the top 20% of support scenarios that consume the most time.
- Designing workflows that combine bots, knowledge bases, and human agents.
- Continuously monitoring metrics like resolution time, satisfaction scores, and agent workload.
By combining this with a full focus on AI automating support operations‚ your support function can be scaled better․
There are options emerging like Ferndesk, which do seem to align with most of these points․
But the fundamental principle remains for any support teams the same: to automate support to be faster‚ smarter, and more human․
Technology
Can Nigeria Build Enough Solar Panels? TechCartel Breaks Down the New Taxes on Imported Tech
There was a time when a solar panel on a Nigerian rooftop was a luxury, the kind of thing you saw at a hotel or a church with generous donors. That time has passed. Across the country, solar panels have become a defining feature of the skyline, appearing on rooftops and office blocks in nearly every neighborhood. Once viewed as a luxury, solar has transitioned into a fundamental necessity for millions of households and businesses. For many, it serves as the foundation of their daily power needs.
The Federal Government has now moved to change how those panels get into the country, and the implications are landing on an energy market that has quietly built its entire informal infrastructure around imported solar hardware.
According to a detailed breakdown published by TechCartel, one of Nigeria’s most closely watched tech publications for consumer technology, the government is not staging an overnight ban. What it is staging is a structured financial squeeze: higher import taxes on finished solar panels, lower duties on raw materials for local manufacturers, and a 2036 target for 100 percent local production.
The policy timeline started earlier than most people noticed. In March 2025, the Minister of State for Technology, Uche Nnaji, announced a Solar Import Phase-out Roadmap. The stated motivation was the import bill, which crossed ₦200 billion in a single year. By January 2026, the Rural Electrification Agency reported that local manufacturing capacity had grown from 120 MW to 300 MW. On April 1, 2026, the Minister of Finance signed the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, formally introducing Import Adjustment Taxes on finished solar goods. A Green Tax Surcharge follows on July 1, 2026.
For anyone who opened an import Form M before April 1, there is a 90-day window to clear goods at the old rate. After that, the new cost structure kicks in. The Secure Energy Project estimates a 15 to 25 percent rise in solar panel prices by late 2026.
Can Nigerians Still Afford to Power Themselves?
To understand why this policy lands differently in Nigeria than it would elsewhere, you have to understand what the grid has done to Nigerian electricity habits. Years of erratic supply, multi-hour daily outages, and voltage fluctuations that destroy electronics did not produce a population waiting patiently for the government to fix things. It produced a population that fixed things itself.
First came generators, petrol then diesel then gas. Then came inverters with lead-acid batteries, then lithium batteries, and then solar panels added on top to charge them without spending on fuel. The 1 kWh solar generator, once considered a niche product, is now a completely ordinary fixture in small households and one-room businesses. Some call them power stations, and that name has started to feel accurate. Provisions shops, phone repair kiosks, tailoring studios, and barbing salons run on them every single day. They are small enough to sit on a balcony, affordable enough for a two-month savings plan, and powerful enough to run lights, DC fans, and a phone charger without touching a NEPA bill.
The scale goes well beyond individual homes. Petrol stations that once ran generators round the clock have converted their canopy roofs into solar arrays, running hybrid systems where solar handles daytime load and the generator only kicks in at night. Pharmacies, internet cafés, printing shops, and cold rooms powering perishables now run on solar. The solar transition in Nigeria has been market-driven and it has moved fast.
That context is what makes the arithmetic in TechCartel’s breakdown so pointed. Nigeria’s local solar manufacturing capacity stands at 300 MW as of April 2026. The country’s estimated demand for energy stability is 3.7 GW. The gap is over 3,400 MW. Local manufacturers currently price their panels about 16 percent above imported alternatives. As import taxes rise, that gap will narrow, but the timeline is vital. If local capacity grows faster than analysts expect, the transition could be orderly.
The government’s $425 million commitment to eight new manufacturing plants, and the 150 percent capacity growth achieved in a single year, suggest the industrial ambition is real. Nigerian-assembled panels are already being exported to Ghana and Burkina Faso, which signals a manufacturing base serious enough to serve regional demand. The 2036 target is a decade away, but the trajectory is being built now.
For Nigerians planning a solar installation in the coming months, the window is clear. The Form M grace period runs 90 days from April 1. The Green Tax Surcharge begins July 1. Any installation completed before that first wave of cost increases arrives will avoid the opening price shock. After that, the cost of running your own power in Nigeria, already a choice made out of necessity, gets a little harder to justify on a budget.
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