My latest initiative – nGOmobile – was featured this week on the BBC World Service “Digital Planet” series which reports on technology stories from around the world. This is the third time kiwanja has been featured on the program. Nokia’s Head of Social Investment for Africa and the Middle East, Micheline Ntiru – who is … Continue reading Hat-trick on the BBC World Service
Month: September 2007
Let’s not write it off quite yet
A couple of months ago a member of the Social Mobile Group on Facebook asked an interesting, and pertinent, question. Commenting on a picture of a payphone attached to a bicycle from the kiwanja Mobile Gallery (this bike is taken around the streets of Kampala for members of the public to use to make calls), … Continue reading Let’s not write it off quite yet
The Digital Divider
People tend to get pretty excited around mobile technology. In developing countries most of this excitement has centred around their proliferation into poorer rural, communication-starved areas, and their new-found potential in helping close the digital divide. Handset giants such as Nokia and Motorola believe that mobile devices will “close the digital divide in a way … Continue reading The Digital Divider
China crisis?
Over the past couple of years there has been increasing debate in the West on the role of “China in Africa”. There are even several books out on the subject. I haven’t heard too much from Africans themselves, except for the odd comment by the man on the street that Chinese goods are swamping their … Continue reading China crisis?
Politicians fail, technologies prevail
There’s been plenty of talk in recent years about a ‘United States of Africa‘. Fantasy or reality, politically such an entity looks as far off as it ever was. But visions of a continent borderless economically and politically are gradually being replaced by another borderless phenomenon – the mobile phone network. While Europe argues about … Continue reading Politicians fail, technologies prevail
Saving Africa from us
There are often times when things I feel particularly strong about are better put in words by other people. This article, by Uzodinma Iweala (author of Beasts of No Nation, a novel about child soldiers), is no exception. Originally published in The Washington Post a few weeks ago, it’s particularly poignant coming at a time … Continue reading Saving Africa from us