6 July 2010
With mobile phone penetration continuing to expand in Africa and technology becoming both more powerful and less expensive, new trends in mobile applications are emerging. A new report by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) on mobile applications in East Africa examines the services offered - from finance to health and education - the barriers to delivery, and approaches to successfully scaling-up applications beyond the pilot stage.
Businesses, governments and NGOs increasingly deliver information and services via mobile phones applications. However, they face barriers to getting the message out, from illiteracy of some users to a lack of electricity to charge phones. A new report analyses existing successes in East Africa, such as M-Pesa or Text-to-Change, and explains some sure-fire ways to increase impact and sustainability in mobile applications.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) points out several keys to success in a new report, Innovative Use of Mobile Applications in East Africa, by Johan Hellström. Successful mobile applications do the following:
- Focus on user-needs and daily experience;
- Forge strong partnerships; and
- Use effective marketing to reach users and consumers.
The report shows that East Africa is a thriving hub of innovation, citing 120 new and useful mobile applications developed in the region. This innovation is powered by what American University's Kerry McNamara calls a "virtuous circle" of expanding network infrastructure, increasing affordability, improving devices, and advancing applications.
However, considerable challenges remain. Cross-cutting issues such as a lack of education or consumer protection hinder many sectors, while other barriers, such as privacy concerns or fragmentation of mobile platforms, are unique to mobile applications. Developers and entrepreneurs building mobile applications, such as those who will soon use the mobile applications laboratories that infoDev is developing in partnership with the Government of Finland and Nokia, need to be aware of these challenges from the start.
The Innovative Use of Mobile Applications in East Africa report advocates a demand-driven approach to application development: service-providers should do detailed research to understand what users need and how they prefer to use technology. To improve the chances of adoption, application developers can involve users in the design experience, build flexible, open platforms, and use advertising to reach users. Affordability and value for money are essential. Business models must be designed for the limited expendable income of most users.
The Innovative Use of Mobile Applications in East Africa was written by Johan Hellström for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and released in June 2010.