Back in 2009 I carried out something of an experiment. Me and Erik Hersman attended ICT4D in Doha. For both of us it was our first time at a ‘professional’ tech-for-development gathering. After hearing and writing so much about the disconnect between academia and practitioners in ICT4D, I wanted to see if it existed – … Continue reading Talking ICT4D
Category: Technology
Ken Banks on technology: mobile phones, software and gadgets, and how they shape (and sometimes fail) social change and development.
Principles and Charters: A recipe for harmony in ICT4D?
There’s a phenomenon in the science world known as ‘multiple independent discovery‘. It’s where “similar discoveries are made by scientists working independently of each other” and the Theory of Evolution, the jet engine and the television can be counted among its ranks. Not that any of my work comes close to any of these, it … Continue reading Principles and Charters: A recipe for harmony in ICT4D?
International development: A problem of image, or a problem of substance?
The world has problems. Big problems. They need big answers, ambitious projects and innovative solutions. And that costs money. Lots of it. Three trillion dollars over the past sixty years, if the research is to be believed. Fixing stuff is big business. With these kinds of resources, what could go wrong? The problem is, many … Continue reading International development: A problem of image, or a problem of substance?
Time for a Donor Funding Charter?
“Innovation isn’t about green bean bags and whacky idea sessions. It is a long term business development strategy“ Lucy Gower Behind almost every good social entrepreneur you’ll find a donor. These donors come in all shapes and sizes – family members, friends, companies, CSR departments and sponsors are the most typical, increasingly followed by the … Continue reading Time for a Donor Funding Charter?
Field of dreams
Two years ago this summer, long-time friend Erik Hersman and I took a stroll through this grass meadow in St. Ives, a small market town in Cambridgeshire where I work from a small office above a supermarket. Erik was on holiday, but that didn’t stop us taking a long walk discussing life, family and work. … Continue reading Field of dreams
Innovation out of necessity is alive and well
(This article first appeared on the Virgin website as part of their special feature on innovation and disruption. The original post can be read here). While much of the West debates the pros, cons, merits and current state of technological innovation, innovators in the developing world just get on with it. And they’ve never been … Continue reading Innovation out of necessity is alive and well
Thinking the future with shift 2020
I’m excited to announce my contribution to a new book project – shift 2020: How Technology Will Impact Our Future. It’s a self-published book curated by Rudy De Waele which includes foresights on how technology will impact our future from some of the world’s leading experts. The idea of shift 2020 is based on Mobile Trends 2020, another collaborative project Rudy launched … Continue reading Thinking the future with shift 2020
Charting The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who come alive” – Howard Thurman (1899 – 1981) When David Rowan, editor of Wired Magazine, invited me to write a short article for “Ideas Bank” last spring, it … Continue reading Charting The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator
m4d: The fun is over. Time to get tough?
I’m all for discussion and debate, and I’ve taken part in my fair share over the past eleven years. But I’m now beginning to wonder if, after all this time, everything we could have said has been said. The fact we’re still talking about the same handful of challenges and issues implies that very little, … Continue reading m4d: The fun is over. Time to get tough?
Time to think message and motivation
Few companies succeed if they don’t take the time to understand their users. Fewer non-profit ventures succeed if they don’t either. After recently ‘moving on’ from FrontlineSMS and a ten year spell focusing exclusively on ICT4D, I’m beginning to realise that much of the wider technology-based social sector suffers from not-too-dissimilar problems. Few people, it … Continue reading Time to think message and motivation
Joining forces with the GSMA
Good mobile data is hard to come by. Much is either speculative, out of date or – if based on more recent research – expensive. And what is freely available is often spread far and wide across the Web. If you’re into mobiles for development then today your life is set to become a lot … Continue reading Joining forces with the GSMA
Nokia next in line for an about-turn?
Two years ago Nokia had a global smartphone market share of around 29%. That number has fallen to around 3% today, despite the smartphone market more than doubling over the same period. Nokia’s CEO, Stephen Elop, bet the family silver on a Windows-based strategy and gave it two years to pay off. Well, two years … Continue reading Nokia next in line for an about-turn?
Time to meet the real M-PESA?
m-Pesa? m-PESA? mPESA? MPESA? mpesa? Putting the actual spelling to one side for a moment, there can be few more talked about yet least understood mobile services than M-PESA (yes, that’s how you’re supposed to spell it. I think). Misunderstanding, misinformation and, in some cases urban myths abound – everything from its roots and implementation … Continue reading Time to meet the real M-PESA?
2013: The end of sustainability?
One of the most interesting comments I’ve read for while came in this article by Andrew Zolli for the New York Times, written in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy late last year: Today, precisely because the world is so increasingly out of balance, the sustainability regime is being quietly challenged, not from without, but from within. … Continue reading 2013: The end of sustainability?
An inconvenient truth?
Exactly ten years ago this month I was preparing for my first ever piece of work in mobile, two years of work which would lead to the development of an innovative conservation service in 2003 – wildlive! – and the release of one of the earliest reports [PDF] on the application of mobile technology in … Continue reading An inconvenient truth?