Kenya RPCV Daniel Kohanski writes: Poorer nations get big lift from a little high tech



It doesn't always take a lot of high technology to compete in the modern world. It takes a little bit of it, plus a lot of ingenuity. In Kenya, there are fewer than half a million landlines for 37 million people, and most of them are business phones. But in the past few years, more than 6 million Kenyans have acquired cell phones. A reconditioned phone can cost less than $25. That is still a lot of money for those who live on a dollar or two a day, but they are cheap to use. A subscriber identity module card is less than a dollar; 8 cents will pay to send a short text message, and it costs nothing at all to receive one. This last part can be particularly useful in providing poor people with access to the information that they need to better their lives. Pride Africa, for example, a nonprofit based in Nairobi, Kenya, is developing a new system - DrumNet - to connect the players in the agricultural community via cell phones; I worked for them while I was in the Peace Corps. The idea is to connect the bankers, the farmers, the buyers and suppliers, so that information is easily exchanged among them.

Kenya RPCV Daniel Kohanski writes: Poorer nations get big lift from a little high tech

Poorer nations get big lift from a little high tech

Daniel Kohanski

Sunday, August 19, 2007

We in the West are accustomed to thinking of technology as being the latest thing. We line up for iPhone because we want the newest, coolest toy on the market. Anything else is so yesterday.

The developing world cannot afford that sort of luxury; instead, people there have access to current technology. Bank tellers may have flat-screen monitors; some stores, even in small towns, have barcode scanners; and there are Internet cafes everywhere. But the bulk of the population cannot afford these things.

They can, however, afford a mobile phone. It may not be new; many have been reconditioned, often poorly so. It's not an iPhone or a BlackBerry; it doesn't come with a camera, nor does it play games. There isn't always a clear signal, or electricity to charge it. Yet all over Africa, it is changing lives.

In Kenya, there are fewer than half a million landlines for 37 million people, and most of them are business phones. But in the past few years, more than 6 million Kenyans have acquired cell phones. A reconditioned phone can cost less than $25. That is still a lot of money for those who live on a dollar or two a day, but they are cheap to use. A subscriber identity module card is less than a dollar; 8 cents will pay to send a short text message, and it costs nothing at all to receive one.

This last part can be particularly useful in providing poor people with access to the information that they need to better their lives. Pride Africa, for example, a nonprofit based in Nairobi, Kenya, is developing a new system - DrumNet - to connect the players in the agricultural community via cell phones; I worked for them while I was in the Peace Corps. The idea is to connect the bankers, the farmers, the buyers and suppliers, so that information is easily exchanged among them.

It is a mix of high-end technology - the database sits on a PC, and the banks use the Internet to connect to it - and low-end: the cell phone in the farmer's hands. One farmer often acts as a coordinator for a group of farmers, further reducing their cost. The farmers have to pay to send a few messages, but they will receive all the information they need to successfully raise a crop for market for free.

"Flashing" is another helpful technique. This is where someone starts a voice call to another mobile phone, but hangs up before the other person answers. Because there is no charge until the connection is completed, this is a free way of sending a pre-arranged signal, or a way of asking someone to call back when the caller has run out of credit. Because prepaid credit can be had for as little as 80 cents, and found at any remote village store, this gives an idea how close to the margin many people live, and how a mobile phone can make a difference.

Other uses abound. Fishermen in Tanzania, India and other nations use their mobile phones while still at sea to get multiple bids for their catch. They no longer have to wait until they get to the dock and be at the mercy of what the local buyer feels like offering.

It doesn't always take a lot of high technology to compete in the modern world. It takes a little bit of it, plus a lot of ingenuity.

Daniel Kohanski was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya. Contact us at insight@sfchronicle.com.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: August, 2007; Peace Corps Kenya; Directory of Kenya RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Kenya RPCVs; Engineering; Science; IT

When this story was posted in January 2008, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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