[UgaBYTES] Mobile Revolution Can Benefit Youth

Tue Jan 5 13:18:01 EST 2010

Hello !

About the explosion of mobile telephny in Africa, you remember me about
Miko RWAYITARE, the founder of the first mobile phone company in Africa in
Kinshasa ( DRC in 1987): Telecel.
When he was advocating for his project, many observers just said he was mad !
I think he was a great visionary !

> Quite an intresting and insightful read Sulah, many have always reasoned
> technologically when it comes to the very reason for the explosive
> penetration of mobile phones in Africa. The fact that mobile phones are
> simple to master usage, can be used off power source, is low cost, very
> portable etc, explain its wide use and adaptation in Africa, however now
> that you brought in the oral nature of Afican populace, it makes much more
> sence. Thanks.
>
> Best Regards,
> Cleopa.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ndaula Sulah
> Sent:  05/01/2010 1:17:36 pm
> To: ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org; kentel at list.kenyatelecentres.org;
> ciresearchers
> Subject:  Re: [UgaBYTES] Mobile Revolution Can Benefit Youth
>
> Hey Sandra,
>
> I have been following mobile technology with love - but not at all as an
> expert but rather as a learner. When new ICTs (I mean computers and
> internet)  first came to Africa, many researchers and practitioners linked
> them to the "African Drum": the drum of community service, the drum of
> death, the drum of harvest... and the socialization culture of Africans at
> village level - at least in social development. That is why public access
> centres were bound to succeed and that many organizations used the drum as
> their symbol at a time e.g. Drum Beat to emphasis the place of ICTs in
> social cultural roots of the continent. But not in practice.
>
> Picking pieces together, the technology had to sheer on the socio-cultural
> and economic norms of the continent. The continent is largely oral:
> messages
> that are spoken fly x6 faster than those that are written. You may
> remember
> a common saying "if you want to rob an African write and if you want to
> fail
> speak". With this analysis, it was not surprising that later, after many
> had
> thought that new public access centres would replace radios, researchers
> and
> pac practitioners thought it fiting to incorporate community radio within
> the PAC model to create CMCs. UNESCO and IDRC have been central here. The
> intervention came in later, asserted more impact and empowerment. It was
> the
> perfect awaited recipe to push sustainability of telecentres to a new
> meaning. These with commercial hung, were out to establish radios for
> profit
> in Africa - in uganda 212 FM radios have been established - all
> successful.
>
> Reflecting on what I am say, I not sure am speaking. But when mobile
> telephony came in with 100% oral focus, allowing people to speak their own
> luganda, kiswahili, and the millions of dialects there may be in Africa,
> wow
> the adaption and adoption has been un measurable. The simplistic talk has
> again grown that mobile technology will replace PAC which were thought to
> replace radio and libraries ealier on. How interesting! But most of you
> have
> already seen how oral ICTs have intermarried to create bigger impacts than
> either of them could. Look at the democratization of FM radios through
> mobile technology - a typical example, isn't it?
>
> I have been wondering, how the siblings of present relationships between
> mobile phony platforms and other communication and development sectors
> will
> look like in future. Will content be an issue? Who will own the voices and
> trascation through the platform? How will the remittance systems be
> handled
> as most service begin to be delivered through the Mobile phone system? Is
> there any anticipated takeove and major revolution say in the banks will
> operate, etc.? ....
>
> Best Regards,
> ---
> Sulah
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 1:49 AM, Sandra Nassali
> <snassali at ugabytes.org>wrote:
>
>> The explosion of mobile telephony in the just-ended decade shattered the
>> myth that Africans are slow to take up technology.
>>
>> The mobile distribution, though still low by global standards, is one of
>> the
>> fastest growing in the world and proves one other thing - that
>> technologies
>> which address practical problems will always be readily embraced.
>>  Besides the difficult-to-compute millions of shillings that the
>> technology
>> has contributed to the economy, at a personal level, it has
>> revolutionised
>> how Africans communicate, transact business and even exchange money.
>>
>> The biggest segment of the community to benefit from this technology are
>> the
>> youth, who have opened myriads of retail mobile-related businesses, from
>> the
>> sale of sets, accessories, repairs, programming and many others.
>>
>> The momentum has only started and an even higher pace is expected in
>> coming
>> years. And this is where young people can benefit by developing
>> real-life
>> solutions to build around the technology.
>>
>> There is no doubt that a convergence of sorts will happen around the
>> mobile
>> phone in coming years, and the biggest winners will be companies and
>> individuals who today provide tomorrow's solutions.
>>
>> Largely, young people have shunned traditional engagements such as
>> agriculture for not being trendy, but this time, with cash available
>> from
>> the Youth Development Funds, there is no reason why they should not
>> invest
>> in the business.
>>
>> We are optimistic that this time round, government regulatory
>> authorities
>> will not stand in the way of innovations, and that it will provide the
>> right
>> policy framework in good time. It must also seek ways to thwart the
>> manipulations of traditional corporate cartels.
>> --
>> Sandra Nassali
>> Community Facilitator
>> UgaBYTES Initiative (www.ugabytes.org)
>> Telecentre.org  (www.telecentrecommunity.ning.com)
>> Plot 2218 Ggaba Road,
>> 2nd Floor Kangave House
>> P.O. Box 6081 K'la
>> Email  snassali at ugabytes.org
>> chat    (skype)- n.sandra.
>> Tel      +256-414-370163
>> _______________________________________________
>> ugabytes mailing list
>> ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
>> http://lists.ugabytes.org/mailman/listinfo/ugabytes_lists.ugabytes.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Executive Director
> UgaBYTES Initiative
> Tel: +256414370163
> Mob: +256712314969
> Skype: sulah.ndaula
> Yahoo: ndaulasula
> Email: ndaulasula@
> (ugabytes.org,yahoo.co.uk or gmail)
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-- 
NKURUNZIZA Jean Paul
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