Kenya has the highest quality of electronic infrastructure in Africa, according to a new study by Netherlands-based cybersecurity firm Surfshark that analysed 25 African countries.
E-Infrastructure comprises tools required for integration of various technologies such as internet broadband channels, computing power, bandwidth provisioning, data storage, grid-based resource sharing etc.
The study analysed 121 countries globally and found that 52 of them have poor electronic infrastructure, as they have a lower-than-average e-infrastructure index.
Meanwhile, 69 countries enjoy a well-developed electronic infrastructure. It also found that countries that have low levels of e-infrastructure also tend to be poor with a few exceptions.
Kenya emerged top in Africa, beating 24 countries that were analysed. E-infrastructure refers to ICT-based resources such as networks, grids, data centres that facilitate access to the Internet.
“However, there are exceptions - Kenya has a low GDP per capita ($2,100) but ranks higher than average in e-infrastructure, proving that the wealth of a country is not the only factor driving e-infrastructure development,” said the study.
Surfshark said poor e-infrastructure hurts the lives of citizens, especially at a time when most services are moving online.
The firm offers various cybersecurity services including virtual private network (VPN), antivirus, data leak detection, private search, and automated personal data removal.
The study found that the majority of European countries enjoy a well-developed electronic infrastructure. Only 13 percent of the continent’s countries there rank lower than average: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, and North Macedonia.
“A country’s e-infrastructure level greatly impacts the quality of people’s lives - from access to information to employment opportunities and education.
Monitoring countries’ progress in e-infrastructure can help to better understand the key drivers behind it and speed up its development,” said Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske, a spokeswoman for Surfshark.
The study drew data from Surfshark’s Digital Quality of Life Index 2023, which indexed 121 countries globally according to five pillars that impact a population's digital quality of life.
E-infrastructure is just one of the five pillars that are key to giving consumers a high-quality digital experience. Others are internet affordability, internet quality, electronic security, and electronic government.
Overall, Kenya ranked 76th out of 121 with a digital quality of life score of 0.4201 weighed down by particularly low scores on internet affordability and internet quality
