Africa's digital infrastructure is the next playing field for great-power competition

In June, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari blocked Twitter for all of Nigeria in what many believe was a response to the company deleting a tweet of his and suspending the leader's account. While the government lifted the ban last month , the initial decision came as a shock to Nigerians—especially since many have relied on Twitter to organize social movements including the #EndSARS protests last year. It also served as a wake-up call to the United States. The episode is emblematic of choices being made by African nations on the core question of open internet access. Countries such as Uganda,…