The biggest obstacles to startups across Africa are the lack of broadband and the oppressive price of data, according Andre de Wet, chief executive officer (CEO) of PriceCheck.
Speaking to HumanIPO, de Wet explained that despite there being numerous barriers hindering startups in South Africa and across the continent, broadband connectivity is the biggest problem.
“Our biggest barrier is the lack of broadband. That is where we can draw the line,” he said.
He criticised telecoms operators in South Africa for being “opportunistic” in their over-pricing of data, arguing lower data costs continent-wide would bring about positive changes.
“Data is still very expensive and that is very wrong. It should be very cheap. It’s purely opportunistic of the telcos currently. They’re capitalising because there’s nothing else,” de Wet said.
“If data was cheaper, you’d see a big change on the continent, and you already do in some other countries, like Kenya and Nigeria,” he added.
