For more than twenty years I’ve been writing about the ways technology, ideas and ordinary people come together to change things. My articles have appeared on the BBC, in The Guardian and the Stanford Social Innovation Review, in Wired UK, PC World, The European Business Review and Positive News, and I’ve written series for National Geographic and How We Get To Next. The subjects have ranged from mobile phones in the developing world and the story behind FrontlineSMS, to social entrepreneurship, conservation technology and why the best innovations often begin with listening rather than technology itself.
Some of that writing has travelled further than I ever expected. My books carry forewords from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Peter Gabriel and Ashoka’s Bill Drayton, and the collected posts in Musings of a Mobile Anthropologist have been popular with students and academics looking for conversation starters. More recently my writing has turned towards mindful thinking – how we listen, what helps and what only adds to the noise, and how to live and work with more care. The Pursuit of Purpose, The Little Book of Mindful Social Change and, most recently, Beautifully Borrowed – a book of reflections on mortality, attention and what we leave behind – all come from this shift.
Books
Free PDF copies are available of five of the books.
September 2026
Beautifully Borrowed: Twelve Reflections on Mortality, Attention and What We Leave Behind
‘Beautifully Borrowed’ is a gentle exploration of mortality, attention and what it means to live well in a world we only hold for a while. Drawing on more than three decades of travel, conservation, humanitarian work and conversations with remarkable people around the world, it reflects on the lessons that emerge when we remember that nothing truly belongs to us.
Through twelve short essays, the book invites readers to look again at the ordinary moments that quietly shape our lives, to hold success a little more lightly and to think differently about gratitude, curiosity, kindness and the legacy we leave behind. It is not a book about death so much as a celebration of life, and an invitation to live each day with greater awareness, purpose and care.
Available as a free PDF on this website and on Amazon for Kindle, and in paperback. Click here for further details, previews and links.
January 2026
The Little Book of Mindful Social Change
If you care deeply, think carefully and wonder if helping might just add to the noise, this book is for you. It’s for people who believe deep down that change should be thoughtful, humane and grounded. Not rushed, performative or driven by ego.
Drawing on years of real-world experience with kiwanja.net and FrontlineSMS, Ken Banks shares what actually makes a difference. And it’s not grand strategies or shiny tools, but quiet adaptations, humility, deep listening and trust in local knowledge. The most meaningful impact, he discovered, often came from letting go – of control, of certainty and of the need to be right.
Available as a free PDF and on Amazon Kindle and in paperback, hardback and audiobook. Click here for further details, previews and links.
February 2022
The Pursuit of Purpose – Part Memoir, Part Study: A Book About Finding Your Way in the World
Come on the unlikeliest of journeys as we follow one man’s desperate search for purpose. Join him as he seeks answers in the African bush, the forests of Finland and everywhere in between, surviving pirate attacks, near-drownings and close encounters with lions along the way.
Discover how a random idea late one night led to the creation of a text messaging system that would go on to benefit millions of people around the world, and how a global pandemic helped uncover an incredible family history, and with it the answers to a life purpose that had lay hidden in plain sight all along.
Available as a free PDF and on Amazon Kindle and in paperback, hardback and audiobook. Click here for further details, previews and links.
April 2018
Musings of a Mobile Anthropologist
Introduction by the Founder of kiwanja.net, Ken Banks
‘Musings of a Mobile Anthropologist: Tales of technology, anthropology, conservation and development’ is the definitive collection of writing and blog posts from kiwanja.net spanning over a decade.
Previously, some of our most popular articles were shared annually in a collection of favourite posts, and these turned out to be popular among students and academics who found them useful conversation starters and discussion themes. To build on this, we decided to publish over seventy of the most thought-provoking posts from the past twelve years in one place.
‘Musings of a Mobile Anthropologist’ is free to download and share on the kiwanja website – in PDF format – from the book’s own page. The eBook is also available for a small fee in the Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk Kindle stores, and as a paperback in all Amazon stores (regular book prices apply). Click here for further details and links.
March 2016
Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation: International Case Studies and Practice
With forewords by Ashoka founder and CEO, Bill Drayton, and musician and activist, Peter Gabriel.
Social innovation and social entrepreneurship look for creative and affordable solutions to specific societal problems. Fuelled by the spread of the internet and the ubiquity of mobile phones, there are more people working to solve pressing social and environmental problems in the world today than ever before in human history. ‘Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ presents the journeys of pioneering – and often accidental – social innovators who, faced with a problem, used their courage, tenacity and creative thinking to find a solution.
Using their own words to reflect on their experiences, these cases do not gloss over the setbacks and the dead ends social entrepreneurs can face. Instead, readers will gain a realistic insight into the challenges and an engaging look at the problem-solving mindset needed to overcome them. From a life-saving project to bring solar-powered lighting to midwives in Nigeria, to a news dissemination service that’s grown from small beginnings to have a global impact, each case study draws out the lessons learnt by the innovators, providing guidance and advice for those looking to follow in their footsteps. ‘Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ is an invaluable resource for social entrepreneurs and innovators looking for new ideas and insight into what really works – and what doesn’t. This book is an inspiring read for anyone with a social conscience and a desire to change their world for the better.
‘Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ is available in the Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk Kindle stores, and as a paperback in most online stores including the publisher, Kogan Page. Click here for further details, previews and links.
November 2013
The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator
Foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Classes in social innovation, social entrepreneurship and design thinking have become increasingly popular in recent years. On the one hand, this might be seen as a good thing. After all, the world needs as many smart, engaged citizens as it can get, particularly when you consider the multitude of challenges we face as a planet. But does a career in social change really begin in the classroom, or out in the real world? How much social change is planned, and how much accidental? And which approach tends to lead to the most meaningful, lasting or impactful solutions?
With a foreword from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, ‘The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator’ provides a welcome challenge to conventional wisdom in social entrepreneurship. It highlights the personal stories of ten social innovators from around the world. Ten social innovators – ordinary people – who randomly stumbled across problems, injustices and wrongs and, armed with little more than determination and belief, decided not to turn their backs but to dedicate their lives to solving them.
Available as a free PDF and on Amazon Kindle and in paperback. Click here for further details, previews and links.
Guest articles
Articles for the BBC, The Guardian and Stanford Social Innovation Review.
BBC Future · November 2014
How technology democratised development
Mobile innovator Ken Banks argues that technology has become a vital tool in the fight against poverty.
BBC News · September 2009
Mobiles offer lifelines in Africa
If you want to see how east Africa may respond to the arrival of high-speed internet links, look no further than the mobile phone market, says developer Ken Banks.
BBC News · July 2008
Today from Kenya to South Africa, from Sweden to Greece, conservationists are using mobile networks to track a range of endangered species using GSM technology.
March 2014
Digital technology means development is now happening outside the system
The spread of the internet and rise of mobile phone ownership means more social entrepreneurs are succeeding outside the traditional development system.
December 2013
Innovate or die: what it takes to transform global health
Social entrepreneurs are changing the lives of millions in the developing world, but it is often a lonely and frustrating journey. Ken Banks shares his tips for success for would-be innovators.
January 2012
Technology’s new chance to make a difference in 2012
The ICT4D community must close the gap between the hype around new technologies and the reality in the developing world.
June 2011
Activate 2011: Technology powered by people
The one-day conference on technology and development made clear it’s not just about technology, but who uses it and how.
February 2011
Mobile conference needed more debate on development
An ‘intense’ annual congress of the mobile phone industry could have focused more on the non-profit use of the technology.
January 2011
Technology’s role in fighting poverty is still ripe for discussion
As technology blazes a trail, policy and procedure are playing catch-up to harness the benefits for development projects.
December 2015
The Top-Down, Bottom-Up Development Challenge
Do international development projects designed and managed at the grassroots level perform better overall than those managed from the outside?
April 2015
From Projects to People: Addressing a Donor Funding Imbalance
Donors are always calling for innovative thinking, so why not show a little inclination to innovate themselves?
September 2014
Donors are in an ideal position to stem the flow of poorly thought-out or inadequately planned technology-for-development projects.
January 2013
The Truth About Disruptive Development
The West shouldn’t create solutions to problems we don’t understand using fashionable mobile technologies.
PDF downloads
Other documents, papers and magazine articles.
September 2026
Why Good Leaders Listen (link)
Guest article for Positive News Magazine on why listening is often overlooked as a leadership skill, and how it can challenge assumptions, reveal overlooked knowledge and lead to better decisions
February 2026
Jersey Evening Post ‘Big Read’ Weekend Feature (PDF, 4Mb)
A second ‘Big Read’ feature (the first is available below) which looks at the thinking behind kiwanja’s latest publication, ‘The Little Book of Mindful Social Change’
April 2022
Jersey Evening Post ‘Big Read’ Weekend Feature (PDF, 6Mb)
An in-depth interview with the Jersey Evening Post newspaper on kiwanja’s life, work and the release of The Pursuit of Purpose
April 2016
Horizons or Mirages: Exploring the Potential and Limits of Digital Innovations (PDF, 239Kb)
Co-authored chapter for NESTA’s ‘Innovation for International Development’ collaborative book examining the opportunities of digital technologies and the potential problems of over-reliance as a development panacea
October 2015
Digital Technology and Human Development: A Charter for Nature Conservation (PDF, 800Kb)
Co-authored paper for a special edition of Ambio’s Journal of the Human Environment arguing the need for a charter to help in the effective use of technology for conservation
September 2015
The European Business Review (PDF, 246Kb)
Guest magazine article looking at social innovation and mobile technology in international development
July 2015
Cambridge Business Monthly (PDF, 230Kb)
Book review of ‘The Dream Cafe: Lessons in the Art of Radical Innovation’
March 2015
GSMA Mobile for Development (PDF, 2Mb)
Co-authorship of a study on the use of data to help unlock and scale mobile projects
January 2014
FrontlineSMS, Mobile-for-Development and the ‘Long Tail’ of Governance (PDF, 350Kb)
A full and comprehensive case study from ‘Bits and Atoms’ which examines the governance implications of deployments of FrontlineSMS, and how it succeeded when many other tools failed
October 2013
Stability Journal (PDF, 1.5Mb)
Article reflecting on my ten years working in the ICT4D field
September 2012
Learning from Experimentation (PDF, 200Kb)
Rockefeller Foundation paper on organisational innovation, featuring FrontlineSMS
March 2012
Ericsson Business Review (PDF, 213Kb)
Interview on innovation and technology for development
March 2012
Ericsson Business Review (PDF, 213Kb)
Interview on innovation and technology for development
November 2011
Testing Planet (PDF, 2Mb)
Guest article published in The Testing Planet on building mobile apps for social good
July/August 2011
National Geographic Traveller Magazine (PDF, 600Kb)
Interview with the Editor on kiwanja’s work and travel throughout Africa
January 2011
Musings (PDF, 3.8Mb)
A collection of the ten most popular posts published on the kiwanja.net blog
October 2010
Design Without Boundaries (PDF, 2.5Mb)
An article, co-authored with Joel Selanikio, on how to design and build mobile applications
June 2010
World Watch Magazine (PDF, 462Kb)
Special feature on appropriate technology with a central focus on kiwanja’s work
December 2008
GTZ Newsletter (PDF, 260Kb)
Article on the potential of mobile phones for Cambodian farmers
October 2008
Microfinance Insights (PDF, 600Kb)
Guest article on grassroots economic activity and mobile technology
June 2008
Didactics World (PDF, 150Kb)
Guest Opinion piece on the potential of mobile technology for m-Learning in the developing world
May/June 2008
Boston Review (PDF, 550Kb)
Invited response to an article by Edward Miguel on economic development in Africa
June 2007
Sussex University Falmer Magazine (PDF, 350Kb)
Interview with the Sussex University Alumni magazine on mobiles in conservation
September 2005
Oryx Journal article (PDF, 40Kb)
‘Conservation News’ article on the use of text messaging in conservation, and the release of FrontlineSMS
July 2005
FFI magazine article (PDF, 95Kb)
Article written for Fauna & Flora International’s membership magazine on their technology programme
February 2004
Mobile Phones: An Appropriate Tool for Conservation and Development? (PDF, 260Kb)
Co-author on an early comprehensive report on mobile technology use in international development
Miscellaneous online
Series and one-off pieces published elsewhere.
Currently unavailable
Our special series on technology-for-good for National Geographic.
An earlier series on the use of technology in conservation and development for PC World Magazine
An article on random innovation which lead to the publication of our first book
A series of guest articles inspired by Steven Johnson’s 2014 book, How We Got To Now