Drawbacks that Make Techies in Africa Lack Enthusiasm in the Metaverse

Meta sees a huge metaverse business potential in Africa—$40 billion added to the continent’s GDP by 2031. But the continent is grappling with challenges that if not addressed mean it will be the last to plug into the company’s immersive tech and not in the grand way that Meta hopes it will. The cost of mobile internet is highest in Africa while internet speed in the continent is still the slowest in the world. Meta hopes its 2Africa sub-marine internet cable will help reduce internet costs in Africa, but that may not happen any time soon. The cost of Meta’s VR headsets ($400) is too high for an average African family. Meta is spending $50 million in 16 African countries to educate users on VR, AR, and XR but its CEO Mark Zuckerberg is facing resistance from his own employees, who believe his metaverse obsession will kill the company. The Metaverse has also been tainted by intellectual property infringements, fraud, cybersecurity threats, and impersonation.

SOURCE: QUARTZ AFRICA