African countries most economically affected by internet shutdowns 2021

Internet shutdowns cost some 1.5 billion U.S. dollars to Nigeria in 2021, by far the highest economic impact caused by such disruptions in African countries. In June that year, the Nigerian government suspended Twitter, after the platform deleted a tweet by president Muhammadu Buhari under allegations of rules violation. The ban ended around six months later, in January 2022, when the social media company agreed on establishing a legal entity in Nigeria and paying taxes in the country, among other conditions. In Ethiopia, an ongoing internet blackout on the conflicting Tigray region, associated with episodes of social media shutdowns, resulted in the total loss of 164.5 million U.S dollars - eight times more than Nigeria's loss, for instance.