I remember that morning well. A week or so earlier I’d been informed via a random phone call that a group of Nigerians would be monitoring their forthcoming Presidential elections using FrontlineSMS. There had been frantic activity ever since, culminating in press releases and text messages with Bill Thompson, emails with Jon Fildes, and a Skype call with Gareth … Continue reading Turning point.
Tag: Nigeria
Primates and people: Understanding local needs
Driven by a curiosity and a strong interest in primate conservation, late one night back in December 2001 I arrived in Nigeria to take up my post as Project Manager at a sanctuary in Calabar, Cross River State. The year I spent there – starting exactly ten years ago this month – turned out to … Continue reading Primates and people: Understanding local needs
Nigerian youth ask: What about us?
I owe a lot to Nigeria. Throughout 2002 I lived in Calabar where I helped run a primate sanctuary. I made many friends and gained a real understanding of many of the problems facing the country. Five years later, in 2007, a loose coalition of Nigerian NGOs took our FrontlineSMS platform and monitored their elections … Continue reading Nigerian youth ask: What about us?
Missions look to SMS in Nigeria
This is the eighth in our series of FrontlineSMS guest posts. Here, Mike Blyth – Computer Systems Coordinator at Serving in Mission (SIM) – discusses their use of the software among missions operating in central Nigeria Jos, Nigeria has been in the news recently because of riots in November that killed hundreds of people. This … Continue reading Missions look to SMS in Nigeria
Walking with primates
I’ve been meaning to finish this post for a while now – it’s been sitting in “draft” mode for the past couple of months. It took a talk by Nathan Wolfe at TED last week – live-blogged by good friends Erik Hersman and Ethan Zuckerman – which finally got me thinking again. Nathan’s talk on … Continue reading Walking with primates
Africa through my grandparent’s eyes
Back in what I believe were most likely the 1960’s and 70’s – perhaps a little earlier – my grandparents from my mothers side embarked on what at the time would have been an epic world journey. My grandfather retired quite early after a successful corporate career working for an oil company of all things, … Continue reading Africa through my grandparent’s eyes
The hidden library
As interest in the phenomenal impact of mobile technology grows, so does the volume of literature on the subject. Reports are now published on an almost weekly basis, although many are commercially-produced and come at (quite) a price. Other more freely available studies are generated through high-level research by Phd candidates or Professors at western … Continue reading The hidden library
Bridging the knowledge divide
A common theme in my work, and in many of my conference talks, centres around a very simple message – appropriate technology. It’s nothing new, and as a concept has been around since the 1970’s with Fritz Schumacher’s defining book, “Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered”. During my recent interview with Nokia’s “New … Continue reading Bridging the knowledge divide