The Geopolitical Cost of Connectivity: Africa's Reliance on Foreign Data Infrastructure
FEATURED BLOG
The Geopolitical Cost of Connectivity: Africa's Reliance on Foreign Data Infrastructure
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By Naam Chakravorty and Saniya Fatima
Sept, 2024
In an era where data is often hailed as the new oil, a concerning digital divide is emerging between Africa and the West. This digital divide, rooted in historical inequities and exacerbated by modern technological infrastructure, risks creating a new form of digital colonialism. The root of this problem is the uneven distribution of global data centers and international data routing, combined with Africa's inadequate data protection laws and reliance on outdated communication infrastructure.
The concentration of data infrastructure in the US and Europe is staggering. Nearly 50% of global data centers are located in the US alone, while Africa and the Middle East together host less than 2%. This imbalance allows foreign tech giants to amass African user data for commercial gain and market influence, offering minimal benefits to the data providers. These companies can leverage their resources and power to exploit untapped data on the continent, often under the guise of humanitarian initiatives. The consequences of this imbalance are significant. With limited data centers on the continent, African nations increasingly rely on external infrastructure for data storage and processing. This dependency not only increases exposure to technological risks and geopolitical dynamics, but also directs much of the economic benefits of data processing and analysis to Western economies.
The need for robust data protection laws in many African countries further exacerbates the problem. While 35 African countries have enacted data protection laws in the last ten years, their implementation often falls short of intended objectives. Overly broad exemptions, particularly for security purposes, and a lack of independent data protection authorities hinder effective enforcement. The African Union’s Malabo Convention aims to address these issues, but the majority of the African governments remain reluctant to adopt it due to concerns about limiting the activities of their security agencies. This reflects a struggle to balance privacy rights with security needs in the digital age, as governments navigate the complexities of protecting individual freedoms while ensuring public safety in a data-driven world.
Furthermore, the internet's physical infrastructure inherently exacerbates the digital divide. Much of Africa's international data traffic is rerouted through Europe or North America, even when communication is within the continent. Approximately 97% of global data traverses a limited number of undersea cables, which are essential to the global digital economy. The ownership of undersea cables, which are critical for international data transmission, is another area of concern. Many of these cables are owned or controlled by Western companies or consortia, giving them significant influence over Africa's digital infrastructure.
Major tech companies are increasingly building and operating their own cables, with Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft owning roughly half of all undersea bandwidth globally. As these cables are built, owned, and managed by foreign companies, they are made to serve non-African business and connectivity interests. This means the continent has to rely on circuitous data cables passing back and forth through underwater cables that connect to Europe through southern France. This outsourcing of Africa’s data infrastructure has been holding back development across the region. From share traders to healthcare professionals to video game players, the 180 milliseconds it can take data from Africa’s southernmost nations to complete the trip to Europe and back is an ongoing source of frustration and impedes the continent’s business, economic, and security trajectory.
This routing not only increases latency and costs but also exposes African data to potential surveillance and interception by foreign powers. This control extends beyond mere data transmission, affecting internet access costs, quality of service, and ultimately, the continent's ability to participate fully in the global digital economy.
The data cable landscape in Africa exposes critical vulnerabilities in the region's digital infrastructure. A prime example is the Red Sea, a strategic waterway for global trade and maritime traffic. Approximately 17% of global internet traffic passes through cables beneath the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait, located at the southern end of the Red Sea between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. Due to its strategic location, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and ultimately the Indian Ocean, the Bab al-Mandab Strait represents a particularly vulnerable point for Africa's digital security.
Recently, Houthi rebels in Yemen have targeted global shipping with missile attacks, but the sea also poses a significant threat to internet and telecommunications infrastructure. In February, Houthi rebels attacked Red Sea cables, damaging three submarine cables: the Seacom/Tata cable, the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), and the Europe India Gateway (EIG). This incident resulted in outages in East African countries, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Mozambique, lasting several hours.
The fact that these cables remained unrepaired for months after the disruption underscores the severe vulnerability of this critical infrastructure. Not only does this lead to delays in business transactions but it also creates challenges for the overall business environment on the continent. To mitigate these risks, increased investment in local data center infrastructure is essential.
As Africa strengthens its digital infrastructure, it must align this progress with its climate action plans. Digitalization has been instrumental in addressing climate change, and an Africa-led data infrastructure strategy could focus more resources on tackling this issue. However, data infrastructure also significantly contributes to carbon emissions, a paradox that must be tackled head on.
The digital divide between Africa and the West is a growing concern. If left unchecked, it could exacerbate existing economic disparities, limit access to essential services, and undermine regional stability. However, there is also an opportunity for Africa to seize the moment. By investing in digital infrastructure and developing its own data ecosystem, the continent can position itself as a major player in the global digital economy
Naam Chakravorty is the Gulf Lead, and Saniya Syeda is a Sr Analyst at Botho Emerging Markets Group