Mobile Telephony and the Entrepreneur: An African Perspective

Ken Banks, a veteran in the mobile technology space, has been working to make positive change in Africa for over a decade. Here, Banks takes a break from his blog, www.kiwanja.net, to share his perspective on the rise of mobile technology in Africa.

Whenever the words “Africa” and “economic development” meet – which is often – it is usually in the context of external, foreign aid and large, multilateral development efforts. Large numbers and global donor agencies do, after all, have a habit of stealing the headlines. You’d be forgiven for thinking that little else was happening.

But you’d be wrong.

With penetration rates in excess of 30%, and handset sales among the highest in the world, Sub-Saharan Africa is witnessing a new kind of home grown, mobile-driven economic development. The numbers may not be that big – yet – but the impact on the ground is obvious and the difference it is making in people’s lives is clear. Farmers are now able to access market information through their phones, increasing income in some cases by up to 40%. Casual laborers are able to advertise their services, allowing them to take on more work and avoid down-time waiting on street corners for work to come their way. Unemployed youth can get job vacancies on their phones, alerting them when work becomes available. And, for the first time, the unbanked can transfer money to relatives, or make payments for goods and services, through their phones.

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