Mobile Telephony

The explosion of mobile telephony in the just-ended decade shattered the
myth that Africans are slow to take up technology.

The mobile distribution, though still low by global standards, is one of the
fastest growing in the world and proves one other thing - that technologies
which address practical problems will always be readily embraced.
Besides the difficult-to-compute millions of shillings that the technology
has contributed to the economy, at a personal level, it has revolutionised
how Africans communicate, transact business and even exchange money.

The biggest segment of the community to benefit from this technology are the
youth, who have opened myriads of retail mobile-related businesses, from the
sale of sets, accessories, repairs, programming and many others.

The momentum has only started and an even higher pace is expected in coming
years. And this is where young people can benefit by developing real-life
solutions to build around the technology.

There is no doubt that a convergence of sorts will happen around the mobile
phone in coming years, and the biggest winners will be companies and
individuals who today provide tomorrow's solutions.

Largely, young people have shunned traditional engagements such as
agriculture for not being trendy, but this time, with cash available from
the Youth Development Funds, there is no reason why they should not invest
in the business.

We are optimistic that this time round, government regulatory authorities
will not stand in the way of innovations, and that it will provide the right
policy framework in good time. It must also seek ways to thwart the
manipulations of traditional corporate cartels.
--
Sandra Nassali
Community Facilitator
UgaBYTES Initiative (www.ugabytes.org)