Telecom

Guinea faces nationwide strike demanding internet restoration

Guinea faces nationwide strike demanding internet restoration
Monday, 26 February 2024 18:46

In Guinea, where about 7 million people are internet users, access to the internet and social media platforms has been restricted since November 23, 2023. Despite public outcry and pressure from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, the government has yet to lift the ban.

The Guinea Trade Union Movement (MSG) announced on February 22, that it would initiate an "indefinite general strike" starting today February 26. They want to protest against the internet restrictions in the country, among other issues. The strike is set to unfold across the entire nation, affecting all sectors.

The Guinean government initially imposed the internet and social media access restrictions on November 23, 2023, citing "security concerns." Three months later, the limitations remain despite protests from citizens, ICT sector stakeholders, and human rights organizations. When 2024 started, the Guinean ICT Sector Enterprises Association (RESTIC) called for restoring internet access in the country. Furthermore, the Citizens' Parliament for Civic Engagement held a sit-in on February 20 to demand an end to the internet restrictions.

The internet ban has impacted the 6.98 million mobile internet users in Guinea, according to data from the Regulatory Authority for Post and Telecommunications (ARPT). The restriction has also slowed down activities in the ICT sector and other areas of the Guinean economy amid digital transformation efforts. According to the British company Top10VPN, the Guinean economy suffered a loss of $47.4 million in 2023 due to internet access restrictions.

The Guinean Trade Union Movement hopes that the strike will compel the Guinean authorities to meet all its demands, including lifting the internet access restrictions. The organization is determined not to cease its action without satisfaction of its requests. It reserves the right to file complaints with all relevant United Nations and international human rights and labor law institutions.

On the same topic
Talks explored collaboration with VITIB on startups, research, and smart services Visit follows Côte d'Ivoire's $146M 2026 digital...
Benin proposes $48M 2026 digital budget, down 6.3% from 2025 Funds target AI integration, broadband expansion, and media...
Mauritania launches free digital portal for Official Gazette with 30,000+ texts Platform offers bilingual access, advanced search, and...
JA Africa launches $1.5M digital safety program in four African countries Initiative to train 250,000 children, 6,000 teachers, 8,000...
Most Read
01

S&P upgrades Zambia to CCC+ as debt talks advance and copper output rebounds. About 94% of $...

S&P Raises Zambia’s Foreign-Currency Rating to CCC+
02

Anthropic, Rwanda’s government, and ALX launched Chidi, an AI mentor built on Claude. It wi...

Anthropic Partners with Rwanda, ALX to Deploy Claude-Powered AI Learning Companion Across Africa
03

Government, ESCWA, and experts meet to shape national framework Plan aims to fight corruption, c...

Mauritania Advances Blockchain Policy to Modernize Digital Public Services
04

Vodacom Tanzania launches M-Pesa Global Payments, enabling seamless international transactions thr...

Tanzania’s Mobile Money Goes Global: Vodacom Partners with Visa, Alipay, and MTN
05

(MCB) - The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited (“MCB”) has successfully granted a strategic financing...

MCB deploys strategic financing to Invictus Investment to scale up its agro-food operations in Africa
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.