A revolution is occurring throughout African societies. While governments implement high-level, high-visibility ICT strategies, experts have recently identified far more radical, hidden changes occurring across the Continent. New technologies, when adopted, are adapted to local needs: a sort of under-the-radar innovation which is now pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Mark Kaigwa, Kenyan ICT guru, digital strategist and keynote speaker at eLearning Africa, explains the situation in his own country: “it’s the organic stuff, initiated by the community and on the fringes… this is what’s really going to transform our country and the rest of the East African region, if not the whole Continent.”
Across the Continent, people are coming up with varied and innovative solutions. To a Kenyan, a mobile could be a portable bank machine – an efficient way to pay bills, take taxis or eat out, using the m-Pesa banking system. To a South African, the same device is a social networking tool, allowing free instant messaging, connections to chat rooms and file transfers – they are used, for example, by teens to download and share quality fiction from the FunDza Literary Trust. A tablet on a farm allows instant access to markets, agricultural advice and weather warnings; in a school, it is a cheap, scalable replacement for the traditional textbook. Read more...