Article
In the Kenyan village of Muruguru, just about every tradesman, shopkeeper, and farmer in town has a phone – or at least access to one. “Customers give my number to other customers. The business has grown,” says Susan Wairimu, whose tailor shop sits in the row of one-story buildings in village center. And Willson Maragua’s transport business in Muruguru, which consists of him and a used pickup truck, could hardly function without mobile technology. Local farmers, members of the Kikuyu tribe prevalent in the area, summon him to haul their coffee beans to a growers’ cooperative in a nearby valley. This comprehensive article looks at how how basic cell phones are sparking economic hope and growth in emerging – and even non-emerging, markets.