81 new internet restrictions were recorded globally in 2025 — a 29% rise. Africa accounts for a significant share. Here is the current situation by country.
Internet shutdowns in Africa cost an estimated $1.9 billion in economic losses in 2024-2025 — Ethiopia alone accounting for the majority. These are not rare events. They are recurring tools of political control used by governments across the continent.
The mechanism is straightforward: governments order mobile operators (MTN, Airtel, Ethio Telecom, Vodafone) to block access to specific platforms or cut connectivity entirely. The operators comply or face criminal sanctions. Users are left without communication tools — often during the exact moments when access to information matters most.
| Country | Risk level | Recent events |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia 🇪🇹 | Very high | Tigray shutdown 987+ days. Amhara nearly 1 year. Social media blocked 158 days in 2023. |
| Uganda 🇺🇬 | High | Election shutdown 2021 (3,000% VPN spike). OTT social media tax ongoing. Election 2026. |
| Egypt 🇪🇬 | High | Active DPI blocking of 394+ VPNs. Systematic content filtering. Legal grey zone. |
| Cameroon 🇨🇲 | High | Anglophone region shutdown 2017-2019 (2+ years). Documented globally as one of the longest. |
| Senegal 🇸🇳 | High | WhatsApp/social media blocks 2021-2024. June 2023: 60,000% VPN demand spike (world record). |
| DRC 🇨🇩 | Moderate | Election-related shutdowns 2018, 2023. Airtel/Vodacom both complied with orders. |
| Algeria 🇩🇿 | Moderate | Annual exam-period shutdowns since 2016. Social media blocks during political unrest. |
| Tunisia 🇹🇳 | Moderate | Increased censorship post-2021. Political content blocked. |
| Tanzania 🇹🇿 | Moderate | Social media tax. Restrictive regulatory environment for online expression. |
| Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 | Moderate | Econet ordered to shut down during 2019 protests. Government shutdown history. |
| Mali 🇲🇱 | Moderate | Restrictions during military transitions. Social media blocks documented. |
| Gabon 🇬🇦 | Moderate | Social media restricted during August 2023 coup. VPN demand spike documented. |
| Kenya 🇰🇪 | Moderate | Social media throttled during 2023 protests. Otherwise relatively free. |
| Morocco 🇲🇦 | Moderate | VoIP blocked since 2016. No full shutdowns but systematic VoIP censorship. |
| Nigeria 🇳🇬 | Moderate | Twitter banned 7 months (2021). ISPs required to log user data. Social media bills ongoing. |
| Ghana 🇬🇭 | Low | No documented shutdowns. One of Africa's freest internet environments. |
| South Africa 🇿🇦 | Low | No censorship. Free internet. Cybercrime concern but no government blocks. |
Internet shutdowns are not just political — they are economic destruction. Ethiopia lost an estimated $1.9 billion to internet disruptions with 28.9 million users affected, making it the second-highest country globally for economic losses from shutdowns (after Russia). Nigeria's Twitter ban cost an estimated $366 million in lost economic activity. These are not abstract numbers — they represent lost business, lost wages and lost opportunities for millions of people.
Install a VPN before any anticipated shutdown. Surfshark NoBorders and ProtonVPN Stealth are the two most reliable options for African shutdowns. The APK for ProtonVPN is available on protonvpn.com — download and keep it on your phone before you need it.