How mobile accessibility and digital inclusion has transformed sub-saharan Africa. AlterConf, Berlin, 2017

1. How Mobile Accessibility
Has Changed Lives
Mwai Karimi
AlterConf Berlin, 2017

2. Who’s this guy?
● Student - Msc. Informatics Eng. in Faro, PT
● Open source, tech enthusiast
● Web developer

3. Facts

4. How Has This Accessibility Transformed the
Continent?

5. Money & Banking
M-PESA - mobile money transfer in Kenya
Launched 2007, has more than 17 million users
Transferring more payments within Kenya than Western Union globally as of 2011
Mobile money being used to pay bills, buy airtime & making payments to individuals

6. Health
● Model midwife program - advises women during pregnancy through texts and voicemails
● Absolute return for Kids(ARK) - helping to combat HIV/AIDS in Mozambique using messaging
● Mtrac - helps to analyse the health system in Uganda

7. Agriculture
Mobile phones serving as platforms for:
● sharing weather information,
● market prices, and
● micro-insurance schemes
High earning potentials realised by the farmers (mostly small scale)
Apps:
SokoniSMS64 (Kenya) - provides pricing info to farmers,
Icow - provides dairy farmers w/ a service to track their cows gestation, provides info on breeding and
nutrition.

8. Education
Teaching content being delivered on mobiles & tablets
EduTrac - ministry of Education in Uganda able to check up on the status of teachers & schools in
remote areas.
Illiteracy levels dropping.
More kids enrolled in schools.

9. Other benefits
● Disaster management
● Entertainment
● Activism
● Governance

10. Challenges to Increasing Digital Inclusion

11. Key Drivers for Growth
● Network growth
● Affordability
● Digital skills & awareness
● Locally relevant content

12. If it works in Africa, it
will work anywhere!

13. Thanks!
@openbk | iam@mw4i.com