Mobile Phones, Livelihoods and the Poor in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review and Prospect

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 241-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina Porter
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Sub Saharan

M-Kopa Solar: Lighting up the Dark Continent

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charu Rastogi
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mobile Payments ◽  
Energy Delivery ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Dark Continent ◽  
Solar Lighting ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Grave Problem

M-Kopa Solar is a pay-as-you-go provider of solar home systems, catering to low-income, off-grid customers in East Africa. The company goes by the tagline, ‘Power for Everyone’. Using mobile payments system and an innovative approach to energy delivery, M-Kopa succeeded in building a business which solved a grave problem for the poorest of the poor and has the potential to become a billion dollar enterprise. The case begins with a description of the background in which M-Kopa is operating. It goes on to explain how M-Kopa used the infrastructure gap in sub-Saharan Africa as an opportunity and propagated solar power as an alternative to traditional energy. Finally, it lays out the challenges M-Kopa may face on its expansion spree.

The Emerging Market of Sub-Saharan Africa and Technology Adoption

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice S. Etim
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Study Participants

In the United States, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and several emerging economies in Asia, mobile technologies have become ubiquitous and core to everyday lives. The same cannot be said for many countries in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). The availability, affordability and use of information and communication technology (ICT) continue to pose a major challenge to the progress of this important emerging economy and their participation in a networked and “flat world.” Writers (Bishop et al., 1999; ADB, 2003; Fisher et al., 2004; Elijah & Ogunlade, 2006; Etim, 2009; Ssewanyana, 2007) argue for the use of ICT to enable the SSA population in the area of economic and personal development. This paper examines the emerging economy of SSA adoption of mobile technologies in comparison to the U.S.A and reports a study on the features that SSA students desire in mobile phones. The key finding was that study participants desired Internet access via mobile phones.

“Does the poor matter” in pro-poor driven sub-Saharan African cities? towards progressive and inclusive pro-poor tourism

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regis Musavengane ◽  
Pius Siakwah ◽  
Llewellyn Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Urban Tourism ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Cities ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to question the extent to which Sub-Saharan African cities are progressing towards promoting pro-poor economies through pro-poor tourism (PPT). It specifically examines how African cities are resilient towards attaining sustainable urban tourism destinations in light of high urbanization. Design/methodology/approach The methodological framework is interpretive in nature and qualitative in an operational form. It uses meta-synthesis to evaluate the causal relationships observed within Sub-Saharan African pro-poor economies to enhance PPT approaches, using Accra, Ghana, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Harare, Zimbabwe, as case studies. Findings Tourism development in Sub-Saharan Africa has been dominantly underpinned by neoliberal development strategies which threaten the sustainability of tourism in African cities. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to three Sub-Saharan African countries. Further studies may need to be done in other developing countries. Practical implications It argues for good governance through sustainability institutionalization which strengthens the regulative mechanisms, processes and organizational culture. Inclusive tourism approaches that are resilient-centered have the potential to promote urban tourism in Sub-Saharan African cities. These findings contribute to the building of strong and inclusive Institutions for Sustainable Development in the Sub-Saharan African cities to alleviate poverty. Social implications These findings contribute to the building of strong and inclusive institutions for sustainable development in the Sub-Saharan African cities to alleviate poverty. Originality/value The “poor” are always within the communities, and it takes a community to minimise the impact of poverty among the populace. The study is conducted at a pertinent time when most African government’s development policies are pro-poor driven. Though African cities provide opportunities of growth, they are regarded as centres of high inequality.

Mobile Telephony in Sub-Saharan Africa

2007 ◽  
pp. 605-610
Author(s):  
P. Ifinedo
Keyword(s):  
Radio Wave ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Wave Transmission ◽  
Mobile Telephone ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mobile Telephony ◽  
Cellular Phones ◽  
Mobile Telephones ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan

A mobile telephone is a telecommunications device that connects its user to a network using a wireless radio wave transmission technology. In some parts of the world, mobile phones are known as cellular phones. Mobile telephones were first introduced in the mid-1980s (Marcussen, 2002; Sadeh & Sadeh, 2002; Sarker & Wells, 2003). Mobile telephony is diffusing globally due to a variety of reasons, including cost advantages in setting up the system compared to landlines, its small-sized nature, portability, and its ability to foster and enhance social relationships, among others (Plant, n.d.; Marcussen, 2002; Sadeh & Sadeh, 2002; Sarker & Wells, 2003; ITU, 2004; Anonymous, 2006). According to reports by ITU (2004), the percentage of total telephone subscribers that are mobile telephone subscribers has been increasing over the last five years. In 2005, mobile telephone subscribers were approximately 62% of total telephone subscribers for the five regions of the world.

scholarly journals Scaling-up health insurance through community- based health insurance schemes in rural sub- Saharan African communities

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ufuoma John Ejughemre
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Seek Health Care ◽  
Community Based Health Insurance ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Sub Saharan

Context: The knotty and monumental problem of health inequality and the high burden of diseases in sub-Saharan Africa bothers on the poor state of health of many of its citizens particularly in rural communities. These issues are further exacerbated by the harrowing conditions of health care delivery and the poor financing of health services in many of these communities. Against these backdrops, health policy makers in the region are not just concerned with improving peoples’ health but with protecting them against the financial costs of illness. What is important is the need to support more robust strategies for healthcare financing in these communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: This review assesses the evidence of the extent to which community-based health insurance (CBHI) is a more viable option for health care financing amongst other health insurance schemes in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Patterns of health insurance in sub-Saharan Africa: Theoretically, the basis for health insurance is that it allows for risk pooling and therefore ensures that resources follow sick individuals to seek health care when needed. As it were, there are different models such as social, private and CBHI schemes which could come to bear in different settings in the region. However, not all insurance schemes will come to bear in rural settings in the region. Community based health insurance: CBHI is now recognized as a community-initiative that is community friendly and has a wide reach in the informal sector especially if well designed. Experience from Rwanda, parts of Nigeria and other settings in the region indicate high acceptability but the challenge is that these schemes are still very new in the region. Recommendations and conclusion: Governments and international development partners in the region should collect- ively develop CBHI as it will help in strengthening health systems and efforts geared towards achieving the millennium development goals. This is because it is inextricably linked to the health care needs of the poor. 

scholarly journals Mobile phones, gender, and female empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa: studies with African youth

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina Porter ◽  
Kate Hampshire ◽  
Albert Abane ◽  
Alister Munthali ◽  
Elsbeth Robson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Female Empowerment ◽  
African Youth ◽  
Sub Saharan

Utility privatisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case study of water

2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Bayliss
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Development Policy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Past ◽  
Economic Context ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Privatisation Process ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Over the past twenty years, the focus of development policy has shifted from the state to the private sector. Privatisation is now central to utility reform in much of SSA. This paper sets out developments in water privatisation and reviews the evidence regarding its impact. Water privatisation has been carried out to some degree in at least fourteen countries in the region, and many other governments are at various stages in the privatisation process. However, in some cases privatisation has been difficult to achieve, and a few countries have successfully provided water under public ownership. Evidence on the impact of privatisation indicates that the performance of privatised utilities has not changed dramatically, but that enterprises have continued to perform well, or not so well, depending both on their state when they were privatised and on the wider economic context. The evidence points to internal improvements in terms of financial management. However, governments face considerable difficulties in attracting investors and regulating private utilities. Furthermore, privatisation fails to address some of the fundamental constraints affecting water utilities in SSA, such as finance, the politicised nature of service delivery, and lack of access for the poor. A preoccupation with ownership may obscure the wider goals of reform.

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