Africa eSIM: fifteen markets, five-fold price differences
Africa is the worst continent to generalise about for mobile data. Morocco costs $0.76 per gigabyte. Cape Verde costs $5.40. Neither number tells you anything about the other.
How Africa works for mobile data
Some of the variance is geography, but most of it is economics. Mobile money arrived in East Africa before broadband did, so operators built rural coverage as a commercial necessity — which is why signal in the Maasai Mara is better than in parts of rural Europe. Island markets like Cape Verde have small subscriber bases and no competitive roaming pressure, so wholesale costs stay high and never come down.
Broadly: North and West Africa are cheap and urban-dense. East Africa is mid-priced with unexpectedly good rural reach. Southern Africa is expensive outside South Africa, which has the best infrastructure on the continent. Islands are expensive everywhere.
One genuine advantage of travel eSIMs here that doesn't apply elsewhere: several African countries require ID registration for locally purchased SIM cards. A travel eSIM roams onto the network as a foreign subscriber and needs no local paperwork at all.
The corresponding disadvantage: mobile money — M-Pesa, MTN MoMo — requires a local phone number, and travel eSIMs are data-only. If mobile money is essential to your trip you'll need a local SIM alongside.
Africa countries and prices
Prices are live floor prices per gigabyte from our current catalogue and change as wholesale rates move.
Single-country or regional?
One country
Almost always the right answer in Africa. The gap between country and regional per-GB pricing is much wider here than in Europe, because regional plans must price in the expensive markets.
Kenya into Tanzania
The classic exception. Mara to Serengeti, or Nairobi to Kilimanjaro, crosses at Namanga — invisible to your phone. A regional plan saves buying a second eSIM in an immigration queue.
East Africa circuit
Nairobi–Kigali–Kampala is common enough that a regional plan makes sense, particularly since Rwanda and Uganda are individually pricey.
Two legs with a flight between
Morocco then Ghana, say. No continuity to preserve — two cheap country plans beat one expensive regional one.
How much data to buy
Africa trips are photo-heavy and streaming-light, and lodge Wi-Fi is better than most people expect. 3 GB covers a typical week, 5–8 GB covers two. Double the heavy-use figure if you're uploading full-resolution wildlife photography over mobile data rather than waiting for the lodge connection in the evening.
Full data-budgeting guideAfrica eSIM questions
Which African country has the cheapest eSIM data?
Morocco, at roughly $0.76 per gigabyte, followed by Ghana and South Africa at around $1.30. Cape Verde is the most expensive at over $5 per gigabyte because small island markets have no roaming competition to push wholesale costs down.
Will my eSIM work on safari?
Usually, with gaps. Most permanent lodges and camps in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa sit inside a network footprint. Signal drops in river valleys, gorges and the deeper interior of large parks, so expect to move in and out of coverage on game drives.
Do I need to register a travel eSIM in Africa?
No. SIM registration requirements apply to cards purchased locally. A travel eSIM roams onto the network as a foreign subscriber and requires no local ID or paperwork — a real practical advantage in this region.
Can I use M-Pesa with a travel eSIM?
No. M-Pesa, MTN MoMo and similar services require a local phone number, and travel eSIMs are data-only. Cards are widely accepted in tourist areas, so most visitors manage without it, but buy a local SIM alongside if mobile money matters.
Is there one eSIM that covers all of Africa?
Multi-country African plans exist but cost more per gigabyte than single-country plans, because they have to price in the expensive markets. Unless your itinerary crosses land borders, a single-country plan is usually better value.
Which African country has the best mobile coverage?
South Africa has the best infrastructure, with widespread 5G and near-universal 4G. Kenya has the most impressive rural reach relative to income level — Safaricom's mobile-money-driven network extends into conservancies that would be dead zones elsewhere.