This document discusses the various ways that cell phones and text messaging are being used across Africa to improve government, healthcare, banking, education, commerce, and social connections. Key uses include e-government services, anonymous medical consultations, branchless banking like M-PESA, distance education via blogs and messages, and improving literacy. Cell phone ownership has grown enormously, from 5% to 60% of populations having access since 1999. Projects in some villages have doubled agriculture yields, reduced child mortality by 30%, and more than tripled cell phone ownership over 5 years.

1. Starvin’ Marvin with aStarvin’ Marvin with a
Cell PhoneCell Phone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fFNsGu3buA

2. Text Messaging in AfricaText Messaging in Africa
Government
Medical
Banking
Education
Commerce
Social

3. Costs & UsageCosts & Usage
◦ Cellular phones are portable and require limited
infrastructure cost
◦ 2003: 5.3 subscriptions per 100
◦ 2008: 32.5 subscriptions per 100
◦ 1999: 5% living within range
◦ 2006: 60% living within range

6. GovernmentGovernment
‘ egovernment’ or ‘mgovernment’
 promote more efficient and effective government
 facilitate more accessible government services
 allow greater public access to information
 make government more accountable to citizens
◦ vote by cellular phone
◦ less corruption
http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/s
urveys_indices/cpi/2010/results

8. MessagingMessaging
◦ MIM messages can also be used as a chat room
◦ This same type of service is being used to
communicate with the government, essentially
with a ‘call center’ being set up via SMS or MIM
messages , with a many to many function

9. MedicalMedical
Anonymous contact with the clinic
 AIDS
 family planning
 (neither of which are openly talked about in
African culture)
Sproxil is working to reduce the amount
of fake drugs
SMS/MIM messages are used to remind
people needing to take medicines at
regular intervals

10. Mobile4GoodMobile4Good
 Current Services Jobs
• Kazi560: Kazi560 is a job information service aimed at blue-collar workers and employers, for
which job-seekers pay 10 Kenyan Shilling (Ksh) per SMS received. It offers jobs in more than 78 categories
from managers to drivers.
Mobile Gaming
• The projects envisages mobile phone games that educate and entertain audiences on topical
issues. The games allow the youth to interact with verified HIV messaging that they may not be comfortable
asking their parents for.
Other Services Health
• Health Tips: The Health Tips service is designed to provide subscribers with useful tips on
various pertinent health issues for a nominal fee of 7 Ksh per SMS received.
• MyQuestion: MyQuestion is a service, which has been developed to allow customers to
anonymously ask HIV/AIDS and Breast Cancer related questions and receive answers for a price of 7 Ksh
per question and 7 Ksh per answer.
Lifestyle
• Her560: Her560 is a lifestyle channel aimed at professional women, providing information on
health, diet, fitness, fashion, family, finance, events, etiquette, motivation, romance and the home. One-off
tips and subscriptions are available, all charged at 7 Ksh per SMS.
Community
• Community News: The Community News service is distributed free to subscribers in Kibera,
Kangemi, Kawangware, Mathare and Mukuru. It provides a channel for sending out information on events in
the community.

11. OKE, 2008
◦ “ The clinic credits the cellular phone project
with reducing the number of patients who have
stopped taking their medicine from one in five
to one in 50.”

12. BankingBanking
M-PESA is a branchless banking service, meaning
that it is designed to enable users to complete
basic banking transactions without the need to
visit a bank branch.
The service enables its users to:
◦ Deposit and withdraw money,
◦ Transfer money to other users and non-users,
◦ Pay bills,
◦ Purchase airtime
In September 2010, Vodacom and Nedbank
announced the launch of the service in South
Africa where it is estimated that there are more
than 13 million "economically active" people
without a bank account.

13. EducationEducation
lesson plans are posted on a blog site,
and teachers use their own cellphones to
access the Internet for online curricula to
use in their classrooms
students can ask questions and download
basic information through MIM messages
or the internet

14. LiteracyLiteracy
◦ The developing world have had little incentive
to achieve literacy since their economies and
social lives do not require it. However, the
introduction of cellular phone practices known
as text messages and “apps” is changing the
incentive for literacy. Text messaging is making
literacy functional for the first time to many
people around the world.” (Richardson, 2010)

15. CommerceCommerce

16. SocialSocial
• A prepaid phone is often purchased
by one person in the village and
then used by many
Individual business owners
purchase minutes and then sell to
others (phone boxes on street
corners)
Most often use is still to contact
family and friends

17. Millennium VillagesMillennium Villages
◦ In five years:
 Doubled their agricultural yield.
 Child mortality has dropped 30 percent.
 School attendance has increased and test scores
have improved.
 Cellphone ownership has more than tripled.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rFi42xAF8Qc&feature=player_embedded