By TESFA-ALEM TEKLE More by this AuthorEthiopia suffered a loss of at least $100 million due to the internet shutdown the government imposed in July. "Beyond the impact on fundamental rights, each day of an internet shutdown in Ethiopia runs up a bill in excess of $4.5 million, in terms of the economic impact to the GDP according to the Cost of Shutdown Tool (Cost),” it said. Economic impacts of blackouts are calculated using the Cost, which was developed by internet access advocacy groups, the Internet Society and Netblocks. HIGH IMPACTAdvertisementThe internet and social media blackout in Ethiopia, which lasted 23 days (552 hours), ended on Thursday. "Businesses which rely fully on cellular internet connectivity to yield returns or achieve social impact become inherently less attractive to investors,” he said.

Source: Daily Nation July 26, 2020 17:25 UTC