The ISP Tizeti relies on advertising to finance internet access.
March 11th 2026
The internet has become an essential infrastructure of modern life, facilitating instant communication, unlimited access to information, education, and global commerce. In West Africa, a company is offering free internet access to the population.
Internet service provider Tizeti Network Limited , which operates in Nigeria and Ghana, is experimenting with a new business model to support connectivity. Last week, the company unveiled an ad-supported internet platform that allows users to obtain free data in exchange for viewing promotional content.
Deployed across the company’s network of public Wi-Fi access points in Nigeria and Ghana, its two markets on the continent, this solution is based on a simple principle: users connected to the access points can watch a short video advertisement and receive a free amount of internet data in return. This can be repeated several times to extend the connection time.
“ By deploying reward-based internet access in Nigeria and Ghana, we are expanding connectivity without financial barriers while offering brands a high-engagement platform to reach more than 2.5 million active users ,” said Nsikak Asuquo, West Africa Director at Tizeti.
To implement this system, the company relies in particular on Google’s advertising platform, which allows brands to broadcast their campaigns to users connected to hotspots. Advertisers can thus target a local audience while benefiting from a voluntary advertising format, since the user chooses to view the advertisement to access the connectivity.
With this initiative, Tizeti aims to diversify its infrastructure funding sources. The cost of connectivity remains a barrier for a portion of the population in several African countries. By integrating advertising into its business model, the company hopes to reduce this barrier while developing new revenue opportunities.
However, it must be emphasized that in the West African sub-region, internet access remains a relative luxury. According to DataHub, the platform of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in Nigeria and Ghana, a 5 GB mobile data plan represents 1.56% and 3.06% of monthly gross national income respectively in 2025. Yet, to be considered affordable, this rate should ideally remain below 2%.
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