Last week was a difficult one for businesses and citizens in Togo. For five consecutive days, there was an Internet shutdown across the whole country. First it was the mobile data, then SMS services followed. I am still trying to decide which made me angriest:
- That one family will rule a country for 50 years and want to perpetuate this "democracy"
- That a government will opt to shut down the Internet as a response to civic demands
- That a government that shuts down the internet will choose to explain it away using the rain
For someone whose entire livelihood depends on the availability of internet connectivity, I cannot quantify to what extent I am angered by internet shutdowns... anywhere in the world. No matter is it is in Pakistan, in Turkey, in Myanmar, in Cameroon, in Ethiopia or in Togo.. the horrendous effects are the same. Almost all financial services grind to a halt. Almost all communications are lost. Startup companies risk extinction. Businesses, especially Telcos lose money.
I have personally made it a point of duty to tell whoever wants to hear it that no government has ever won or even gained anything by shutting down the Internet. You lose with citizens. You lose with businesses. You lose with potential investors. You lose in credibility. You lose in global rankings. You lose in the present and you lose for the future. You lose: left, right, up, down, back, front.
Citizens and business will not "find a replacement for the Internet". They will lose trust in the government and in the country. They will find "alternative" means to access the Internet. They will seek alternative countries to invest and live in. They will seek an alternative government.
Be a winner. Keep the Internet on. Keep it on!
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