MAYBE CELLPHONE WILL END POVERTY IN AFRICA
Some few years back when Trey Songz went to lagos, Nigeria for a show and he posted images of the performance on Instagram. You could see comments from few people that live in the west and Europe acting surprised when they saw an image of audience using their phones for a waving flashlight. There was a comment that was like “they use phones in Africa?”.
According to the World Bank and African Development Bank report there are 650 million mobile phone users in Africa, surpassing the number in the United States or Europe. In some African countries more people have access to a mobile phone than to clean water, a bank account or electricity.
Mobile phones in Africa are used for a variety of purposes, such as keeping in touch with family members, for conducting business, and in order to have access to a telephone in the event of an emergency. Some people carry more than one mobile phone for different purposes, such as for business and personal use.
Where mobile phones have made the biggest impact is Africa, a place mobile phones are revolutionising the way people interact with their environment and live their daily lives.
Mobile phones are a lifeline in Africa. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, mobile phones are easier to access than electricity. Kenya and Egypt have African’s largest mobile network operators. Mobile phones are the main way the majority of people access the internet as it is cheaper, faster and more accessible than computers.
What does this mean for Africa?
When thinking about expanding your business or franchise into Africa, it is important not to by-pass the huge significance mobile phones have on the lives of Africans. Over time the services available to Africans via their mobile phones will only become more accessible which means the demand for online services will increase. It is quickly changing how people are living daily. Knowing how these impact upon people’s interaction with their environment should change the way companies operate.
I remember a colleague back in school that was able to get scholarships and attend international fellowships just from her blackberry despite the fact it was a bit hard having access to a computer.
If we are to fight extreme poverty, we will need new approaches , ICTs, including mobile devices, can help bend the arc of history in the fight against poverty.
The mobile community provides impoverished people the chance to access financial services to make investments, save money and manage expenses. M-Pesa, for example, is a widely-used money-transferring mobile platform that recently added a savings and credit feature. According to GMSA, the platform lifted 194,000 Kenyan households out of poverty since 2006.
The things which we take for granted every day hold so much power. Think of what a cell phone can do.