Study shows fewer than 20% Nigerian households can’t afford the high cost
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Fewer than 20 per cent of households in Nigeria and other African countries own a computer, a recent report by the World Bank shows.
The “Digital Progress and Trends Report” shed light on the digital divide between low and high-income countries and its impact on the economy, business, and income.
It said, among others,
- The cost of broadband subscription across high and middle-income countries has been stable since 2020 but has risen significantly in low-income countries.
- In low-income countries, the median price of a fixed broadband plan was 50 per cent higher than in high-income countries as of 2022.
- Cited the rising cost of smartphones as a barrier to bridging the digital divide across geographical populations and income groups.
- Among the lowest income groups, the cheapest smartphones cost around 14 per cent of their annual income for persons living under $2 per day. This results in 49 per cent of smartphone ownership in low-income countries compared to 95 per cent in high-income countries.
“In contrast, fewer than 20 per cent of households in the Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, and Nigeria owned a computer.
“Computer ownership is higher in other lower-income countries, although it is heavily skewed toward urban households, as in Angola, Bhutan, or Niger,” the report explained.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has quoted figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to disclose that internet subscription in the country rose 5.81 per cent to 163.8 million between 2022 and 2023.
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