Ah Africa, that continent that offers so much and that is often forgotten by the world regarding… well pretty much everything unfortunately. The case is the same for users who like VPNs living there, as there aren’t that many providers to choose from in Africa or the ones you can choose from exist in a very short scale, granting you as many options as you can count with one hand. Along the next few lines we’ll discuss how did our fellow Africans got such a limited presence in the world of VPN networks, analyze the state of internet and/or privacy laws of African countries , geo blocks in appliance and much more. Also we will investigate what are the best VPN providers for Africa at the moment.
To begin with, Africa is often the last continent to be conquered by VPN providers. The majority of these providers start by distributing their servers in the countries close to where the headquarters of the company are located. After that, they often expand their server network to the most “important” areas such as the U.S., Europe, Australia, or Asian countries like Japan, China or Singapore and lastly to South and Central America (usually Brazil, Argentina, Mexico etc.)
African countries are, therefore, usually the last addition to the list. Another reasons for this is that, whether we want it or not, the vast majority of people live in poor conditions over there, and internet access is not the number one priority. In South Africa for instance – by far the most developed country on the continent – the number of people who actually have internet access is only between 40% and 45%, which is less than half of the country’s population. In addition, the big majority of internet users in this country is located in Johannesburg.
Another important factor for the lack of VPN support in the African continent is the great instability of many countries which have strong laws and controversial governments that limit people’s freedom. If we return to South Africa, fortunately there isn’t that much internet censorship. In fact, since 2013 there have been laws to protect individual’s personal data and online privacy, such as PoPI (Protection of Personal Information Act). This is probably why this country is the sole addition from this continent in man VPN networks. Nonetheless, the country’s internet is considered only as “partially free”, according to the Freedom of the Net Report since there is still some content that is simply not available. There is also a bill in court that could limit journalist’s actions and more. Notwithstanding, the same cannot be said about countries like Algeria or Egypt, where governments are unstable, attacks against the freedom of press and journalist arrests happen on a daily basis. In Egypt, in 2011 there was an inclusive internet and mobile blackout initiated by the government.
Considering all of this, it is important to use a VPN in Africa not only to be able to access otherwise blocked content (which is quite vital especially for journalists), but users will also be constantly protected from the ISP’s and the government’s snooping eyes.
In the same manner how some content does not even reach African shores, other originating from there does not actually leave the place. This means that if you’re an African living abroad, or you are simply interested in some African TV shows, you may be the one left out. Thanks to a VPN that offers at least one server located in Africa, you’ll be able to enjoy the show, as that server will assign an African IP address to you once you are connected to it. Once you visit the page again, all access will be granted.
Perhaps the most important feature when using a VPN in Africa, – besides the aforementioned level of protection – is the ability to access geo-blocked content. In fact, the majority of the world’s most desired content, such as Netflix U.S. with a complete library, or BBC iPlayer among many others, is not available outside the region they belong to, or have many infuriating limitations. With a VPN all you need is to connect to a server where the content is available originally (United States and Great Britain in this case) and simply grab your popcorn, sit back and enjoy.
VyprVPN, provided by Swiss-based Golden Frog, is one of the longest standing VPN services in the world. They own and manage both their server and their client software under one roof, without outsourcing anything to third party companies. Thanks to this, they not only guarantee unlimited bandwidth and stellar server uptime, but it has also allowed Golden Frog to come up with a set of innovative features. VyprVPN users have access to a unique network protocol called Chameleon, which scrambles metadata allowing you to bypass restrictions. Those who regularly run into unwanted malware sites, could prevent malicious redirections with the built-in VyprDNS feature and you can even manage your own VPN network via VyprVPN Cloud. The fast and secure routing is made complete with a large group of possible server locations, counting more than 70 countries and 200,000 IP addresses. VyprVPN is available for every major home device, smartphone and operating system. The subscription cost starts from $5 per month, but you can give it a go for free thanks to the 3-day trial.
With an extensive server network spanning 105 countries, apps for all major platforms, and even extra security tools like an ad blocker, ExpressVPN delivers all you need for a private and secure online experience.
The software is easy to use across all devices, and the speed trumps many of its competitors, making it one of the fastest VPNs on the market. Android and iOS customers can make the most of a 7-day free trial with unlimited bandwidth and everyone can enjoy three months for free when opting for annual billing.
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