By MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG – MOBILE technology presents Africa with an unsurpassed opportunity to address its most pressing development challenges such as health, poverty, hunger and education.
This is according to expert, Vuyani Jarana, at the just-concluded Trialogue Business in Society Conference in Johannesburg.
Jarana, the Chief Officer of Vodacom Business, pointed out that while major strides were being made in Africa’s development, equitable progress remained elusive.
“While Africa’s burgeoning population has the potential to be a powerful competitive advantage, refugees continue to flee conflict, often with tragic consequences, such as the estimated 400 young immigrants feared dead in the Mediterranean recently,” said Jarana.
Of the estimated 800 million undernourished people worldwide, more than 223 million – a third – are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Also, healthcare in the continent is burdened by disease and by resource constraints, and disparities remain in education standards and facilities.
Jarana said Africa’s uptake of mobile technology could provide a powerful springboard in addressing these crises.
“Its uptake has been little less than meteoric.”
Some 17 million Africans had connections in 2000.
That has soared to 906 million in 2015.
“While that expansion is significant in itself, the opportunity it presents for social development can scarcely be overstated,” said Jarana.
Mobile technology is hailed for accelerating the impact of any social development programme while enabling its rollout to the masses cost-effectively.
– Guardian