Building a Web That Works for Africa’s Future
By Eze Williams Ezebuilo
The internet is everywhere — yet often, it still misses someone. In Africa, where millions of new users come online every year, the web still feels like a foreign place. Designed elsewhere. Built for someone else.
I’ve seen it firsthand — apps that freeze on entry-level smartphones, websites that eat data like candy, and platforms that overlook the way we speak, live, and connect. It’s time for something different. A web that works not just in Africa, but for Africa.
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What the Internet Really Looks Like in Africa. In places like Ondo, Kaduna, or Kebbi, many people browse the internet on ₦100-a-day data plans, using basic Android phones with limited storage. Add to that erratic electricity, and you get the picture: heavy websites with auto-playing videos aren’t just inconvenient — they’re unusable.
According to a 2024 Global System for Mobile Communication Association (GSMA) report, over 45% of Sub-Saharan Africa is now online — a staggering number. But “being online” and “being served” are two different things. If our platforms aren’t built for real-world conditions, we’re building walls, not bridges.
Inclusive Design Isn’t a Buzzword — It’s Survival. Inclusion doesn’t mean “checking a box.” It means designing for reality. When I build frontend systems for clients across Africa, I keep five things in mind:
•••Low bandwidth optimization — every kilobyte counts.
•••Mobile-first UX — phones are the primary (and often only) device.
•••Support for older devices and browsers — not everyone is on Android 13.
•••Offline-ready features — PWAs that still show data without a connection.
•••Language and literacy — not every user speaks English, and not every user reads fluently.
•••These aren’t just practices – they are necessities
From Lab Coats to Laptop Screens
I didn’t start in tech. I studied Medical Laboratory Science. But curiosity pulled me in — I saw how software could scale solutions, not just diagnose problems.
My journey into code wasn’t linear. I googled everything. I broke things. I rebuilt them. Now, I work as a frontend engineer on platforms that serve thousands. I’ve contributed to open-source, mentored developers, and written about technology with the same care I once gave to patients.
That background shapes everything I build. Because I know what it feels like to be the outsider, the beginner, the one being overlooked.
Too often, we leave inclusion to designers or product managers. But developers? We set the rules. We choose the frameworks, set the image sizes, and decide how forgiving (or punishing) our app is to a slow connection.
If we optimize only for the newest iPhone and fastest Wi-Fi, we’re writing code that excludes the majority. But when we care about accessibility, performance, and localization, we create digital tools that reach further and work harder.
The next wave of internet users in Africa won’t just scroll — they’ll build. They’ll teach. They’ll launch startups from cafés in Aba, or write code on cracked screens in Kibera. But to do that, they need platforms that respect their realities.
We can’t afford to treat inclusion as an afterthought. It’s not a feature — it’s the foundation. If we get this right, we won’t just create better user experiences. We’ll unlock opportunity and we’ll make the web feel like home.
Eze Williams Ezebuilo is a frontend focused software engineer based in Nigeria.
