Mobile Technology in Africa – A view from afar

According to Microsoft’s Africa Manager – Mteto Nyati, “The opportunities for young people to come up with solutions that address our challenges, using modern tech, are huge. That’s what we need to be doing in Africa, instead of looking for aid.”

Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) recently reported that Africa is currently the second biggest market for mobile in the world. The report said the number of mobile phone users in Africa has increased by nearly 20 percent every year for the last five years.  And it predicted the robust growth to continue.

This means that there is huge innovation potential in terms of mobile technology application development, as well as creating solutions (think access to information, ability to transfer money, creating jobs) for the more than 649 million handset owners on the continent.

According to Gudrun Porath’s Africa’s Mobile Future – Mobile technologies are crucial for internet access. The World Bank and numerous consulting firms across the globe have done their homework and come up with figures which suggest that the spread of broadband internet and education are decisive factors in fueling a country’s economic growth.

My research into mobile technology in Africa took me to Ivan Colic’s Infographic, which gives much insight into the mobile technology scene on the continent.