The African Mobile Phone Revolution

Perhaps one of the biggest stories in the world of mobile phone news recently is the fact that Africa is now the second largest market on the planet. Amazingly, less than a decade ago, Africa was seen as a risky place to do any kind of business for a myriad of concerns. One of the main reasons for this was the lack of any type of digital infrastructure and this coupled with poor communications pretty much ruled out this huge continent for any serious investment purposes.

Fast forward to 2016 and you will see numerous mobile phone top up and mobile phone recharge outlets springing up all over the place. The purchase of mobile phones in Africa will soon account for a massive 10 percent of the GDP. The affordability of mobile data and handsets has been welcomed by African people for a variety of reasons. Perhaps one of the most notable results from this change in availability is the huge improvement in communications for both social and political arenas.

Business people are also heralding the changes in a positive manner because countries are now connected like never before and thanks to the relative affordability of mobile phones themselves, public services are also being delivered at a rate never seen before in Africa.

Back in the day, state run fixed-line telephone services severely constricted the availability and quality of communications inside Africa and the arrival of mobile phones didn’t come a second too soon.

Internet access has also taken a huge climb, especially for those who do not possess desktops or fixed line broadband in their homes.  Even the health sector has improved its services to the public sector thanks to mobile phone technology. In Ghana, the Community Health service is now able to provide invaluable time sensitive information to pregnant mothers and their families.

There can be little doubt that the long awaited arrival of mobile phones and their respective applications has had such a positive effect on this huge continent. In a day and age where we appear to use our technology for entertainment and little else, isn’t it refreshing to learn that Africa is reaping the potential benefits of this amazing technology to the maximum?