Africa has been behind the technology adoption curve, but it’s a continent bursting with innovation the global mobile industry should be paying attention to. The advent of cheap mobile devices has allowed Africans to transition straight into a mobile-first economy.
Mobile infrastructure is far easier to set up than the traditional infrastructure of wired landlines and fibre-optic broadband. With a basic smartphone and a 3G signal, these resources then become the technological infrastructure. And Africans have been taking advantage of its benefits. Here are a few lessons the rest of us should take on board.
Don’t be bound by traditional thinkingIn Kenya, ATMs are relatively rare: they require wired networking, restocking and security. But with mobile wallets and internet banking, someone selling fruit at the side of the road can now get paid electronically, without the need for either buyer or seller to visit an ATM, allowing them to sell more and in...