Disrupt Africa, A Middle Class Has Formed

Nigeria Leads Internet Usage In Africa
Internet penetration in Africa has been gathering ... use on mobile phones in Africa will increase 20-fold in the next five years.

Nigeria leads the continent in internet usage

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is ranked 10th on the list of world’s top internet users, according to eMarketer; with 57.7 million users at the end of 2014, which is predicted to rise to 84.3 million by 2018. The second African country on the list is Egypt, at 17th, whose year is predicted to end with 36 million internet users. South Africa had 20.1 million internet users at the end of 2013, which is predicted to grow to 22.7 million at the end of 2014 and 30.9 million by 2018. This impressive growth has been driven by increasing mobile penetration which has afforded more people access to the internet.
see http://www.ventures-africa.com/

M-Pesa in Kenya

MOBILE phones have been touted as the solution to banking for the poor in Africa, given that phone penetration is so high. But mobile banking is not taking off as expected, banker warns. M-Pesa (M for mobile, pesa is Swahili for money) is a mobile-phone based money transfer and microfinancing service. The success of M-Pesa the money transfer service in Kenya has not been replicated except in Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Card companies have struggled to get their systems to align with local requirements. Regulatory environment and anticompetitive behaviour are also factors. How banks and telcos make money from low value transactions. Companies need to realise just how poor the poor in Africa are. The African brand success lessons. There are places in Africa where communities are yet to experience running water or electricity. Yet, they have access to an MTN Village Phone...
see http://www.bdlive.co.za

Nerve Mobile takes holistic view on African devices

In South Africa, there is Zest and Dream Mobile. Congo has VMK. The latest Africa-based phone company to claim attention is Nigeria's Nerve Mobile, ...
see Disrupt Africa
https://www.zestmobile.net/ Empowering Africa through the development of extremely powerful, yet affordable, mobile device technologies and services.
http://dreammobile.co.za/ Manufacturer and distributer of top end, cost-effective mobile communication devices
http://www.nervemobile.com/ Devices for the emerging nations of Africa & beyond

Nairobi: Traffic jams set to drive consumers online

“Most people shop between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM on mobile phones and tablets, this time they are certainly stuck in traffic on their way to work.
see IT News Africa

UBA Twitter notification service goes live In Africa

CUSTOMERS of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc in the 18 African ... transaction alerts as text messages on their mobile phones and as e-mails.
see The Guardian Nigeria

Investors bet on the world's newest middle class

A middle class has formed on the continent, and it's transforming Africa's ... Estimates of the size of Africa's middle class vary ... Expenditures on mobile phones doubled, car ownership and leisure travel ...South Africa, Kenya and Ghana have the highest middle-class populations, according to Rodger George, consumer business industry leader at Deloitte East Africa.
see CNBC

Smartphones Bring New Hope to Country's Development

AS the world's fastest growing market for mobile phones, Africa is ripe for the upcoming disruption that will be ushered in by ubiquitous Internet access ...
Microsoft/Nokia through the Lumia Windows phone line are betting that the continent's rising economic fundamentals coupled with a rising hunger for connected devices will spur significant demand. Tigo Tanzania services are directly contributing to key developments in health, finance, agriculture and education.
see AllAfrica.com

Video game culture takes hold across Nigeria

Thanks to the growing penetration of smartphones across Nigeria and the rest of Africa, and mobile broadband access that is both cheaper and faster than it was just a few years ago, it’s become possible for developers to get their games into the hands of consumers scattered across a continent that is young and increasingly tech-savvy.
see http://america.aljazeera.com/

Making Change: Mobile Pay in Africa

Now I have two lights, instead of one lamp. And I can charge my phone. Mobile money users “load” cash onto their phones by handing it to agents stationed at grocery stores, gas stations and shopping centers. They receive a text message with their balance and then they can send money to another person or to a company via text message. A bank account isn’t required
see http://www.wsj.com/

Health Aim

3 Ways Mobile Phones Help Fight Malaria in Africa
Martin Edlund, CEO of non-profit organization “Malaria No More” believes that mobile phones can help the fight against malaria in Africa.

Automated mobile phone service hopes to stop spread of Ebola in west Africa

The company is trying to acquire mobile phone numbers from the networks ... Entrepreneurs, drawn mainly from west Africa, were able to meet with ...

Technology Alone Won't Improve Health in Africa

IEEE Spectrum
The mobile phone, Africa's most important digital technology, is boosting African health as it emerges as a platform for diagnosis and treatment.

The African dream, exploit the phones' potential

Poetry in motion: mobile site brings new audience to African writers
Nearly 400 African poets from 24 countries in 14 languages can now be heard reading their work via mobile phones..