How Mobile Phones are Helping to Lessen the ‘Digital Divide’ in Africa

The digital divide is described as the “haves and have nots”, which relates to the divide of people in the world who do and do not have access to digital technologies such as, the internet, computers and mobile phones (Stump et. al). The divide of access to such facilities is fundamentally associated with less economically developed countries and more economically developed countries.  

Imagine a world without your mobile phone, it is a world that many us could not even consider. As Western consumers, we take advantage of the increasing sophistication of mobile phone devices and have become evermore dependent upon them. Your phone is now a metamorphic contraption; waking you in the morning as your alarm clock, allowing you to check your emails whilst on the train, browse the web and check your Facebook. This may sound familiar for many people, as the phone represents constant connectivity to the wider world, both for business and social activities.These are processes that have become intertwined with the fabric of western life, however in places such as Africa the realm of ‘mobile’ has been relatively undiscovered... until now.

David Smith recently reported in an article called ‘Africa Calling’ that mobile phone uptake has soared with figures suggesting a 550% rise in the past five years. In developing countries subscriptions rose from 54m to almost 350m, with 48 out of every 100 people now subscribing, it is the quickest growth in the world. Such figures emphasise the speed at which the digital divide is lessing and it appears to be the mobile phone that is the device to thank (Guardian 2011).

Kateine Chronicle’s blog for the Guardian discussed the developments that mobile phones have brought to the world of farming and trade in Africa. Now nearly one in three people can make or receive a phone call, such facilities have been heralded as the phone revolution (Guardian 2011). This blog discusses some of the main advantages mobile phones have had for the rural farming community in Africa.

• Facilitating cash transfers with the help of the Me2U service, that provides a unique code to allow monetary transfers across thousands of miles.
• Communication with key trading subsidiaries in towns and cities lessening the isolation of living in more rural locations.
• Increasing accessibility and lack of dependence upon infrastructure.
• Enables a wider audience and the opportunity to gain the best price for their product. 

The World Wide Web is a foundation in Africa that helps to develop digital communications among rural communities. The project encourages entrepreneurial spirit and set up ‘labs’ that train communities to use digital communications in order to generate their own revenues or their businesses. For example, they have helped farmers with the use of mobile phones and other digital communications. 

Another element of the foundation means working closely with networks and phone manufacturers to develop mobile phones that provide content and interfaces that are relevant and usable to African communities. Unlike Japan, where ‘development’ means pushing technological boundaries and discovering new innovations in digital, such a word means something completely different in Africa, but is still just as profound. The mobile phone developments in Africa are, to me, more poignant because of the meaning they hold. Equality. Innovation should be something that is available for everyone and not just the select few.

The fast moving world of mobile communication in Africa has provided an opportunity for foreign brands to invest in the newly emerging African mobile phone market. Many mobile phone brands have noted the developments in Africa and are hoping to take advantage of such exponential growth in digital communications. One such brand is Vodaphone who reported that Africa has experienced a 30% growth in mobile phone uptake in recent years (Vodaphone 2011).

The Vodaphone group have teamed up with The World Wide Web foundation to provide rural communities with the means for communication. They have committed to funding 3 years of initial work with local organisations, with the aim to teach local businesses how to use technological communications effectively to generate and maximise business. This project can been seen an a multifaceted exercise, not only will this place the brand at the forefront of newly entering consumers, it also reflects their corporate social responsibility, as well as fuelling the mobile phone market which will increase their own business.

Their mission statement to African businesses:

 “We’ll help you harness communications technology to build your business in Africa, whatever business you’re in. Talk to us now about your business aspirations in Africa. Together we can make it happen.”

(The Vodaphone Group 2011)

Mobile phones have become the most widely used digital device, giving so many more people the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits digital communication offers.

I think that projects such as the Vodaphone/WWW partnership can only be a step in the right direction to minimize the ever growing digital gap. I think that as more people around the world begin to use mobile phones, it will become the most powerful means of communication and this is something that advertisers, globally, can capitalize upon. And on that cheery note I am signing off until next week.