Of Monoliths, Mobiles and Men: An African Development Story

Serving just a fraction of Lagos’ 21 million inhabitants, the brightly coloured, umbrella-hooded stalls lining the entrance of the megacity’s bustling Balogun market have one thing in common: they are in the business of mobile top-ups. Boldly emblazoned on one of the umbrellas are the words ‘Rule Your World’. It is a phrase that aligns itself so comfortably with what has become the narrative of mobile phones in sub-Saharan Africa.

Expectation looms, and the idea that mobile phones will bring empowerment to hundreds of millions of people is one that seems to grow stronger with each report of increased mobile penetration. Rather than tying a bow around this neatly presented black-box, unwrapping the issues surrounding mobile technologies in sub-Saharan Africa reveals there is a far more complicated process towards the cyber-Utopian ideal of mobile empowerment.

The fields of health, money transfer and agriculture are often perceived as areas of particular interest for mobile technologies in sub-Saharan Africa. Applications such as M-Pesa and Esoko are often touted as leading examples of the potential of mobile technologies. However, in a region populated with over 800 million inhabitants, it is difficult to generalise on the impact these applications will have. What works in the specific context of one country, region of city may not be directly transferable in another.

Underlying such an assumption, is the notion of a sub-Saharan monolith. This notion not only looks at the similarities between different countries, but takes them for granted. If we are to truly understand the contextual impact of mobile technologies in sub-Saharan Africa, this calls for nuanced understanding beyond a one-size-fits-all paradigm.

Despite mobile penetration increasing across the sub-region, this only part of the story. Smartphone penetration varies from country to country, but is low overall. Mobile transactions have developed parallel to this reality, with developers creating SMS mobile banking to cater to as wide a market as possible. Conversely, a growing demand for luxury items suggests two things: a growing ‘middle class’ and a growing digital divide.

Along the spectrum of this division, empowerment will have multiple meanings. Who decides what empowerment is? On what grounds? To which degree is it relevant to mobile usage? Will mobile phones benefit those already in a relatively advantageous position? Rather than just looking at the technological possibilities or constraints, the social contexts mobile phones operate strongly influence its adoption.

It is one thing to have a functioning technology, and quite another for a form of technology to function as part of someone’s life. This is why even within the discussion of technology facilitating empowerment, the role of human agency remains a critical factor for mobile phone development.

However, this agency can be inhibited for several reasons. For instance, although English is the official language in Nigeria, it is home to over 500 languages. If mobiles are to reach throughout society, the variety of languages will need to be interacted with. How can mobile phones and their applications be designed in such a way, that it caters such variation in one country, let alone a whole sub-continent?

There are no simple answers here. Instead, what we are left with are a myriad of complicated questions. Questions, that cannot be answered by monolithic myth, nor by the capabilities of mobile technology alone. Instead, they will eventually be answered by the people using these phones: an estimated 650 million users, who will at some level, participate in shaping the fastest growing mobile market in the world. That is the real story here.