AudiencScapes

Josh Nesbit was doing HIV research at a clinic in Malawi in 2007 when he realized that new mobile infrastructure available there could be harnessed to bridge gaps and coordinate health care services. And so, Medic Mobile was launched in 2009- it develops technologies such as easy-to-use medical record systems and SIM card applications to help health workers communicate and coordinate patient care, and provide diagnostics using low-cost mobile technology. AudienceScapes Fellow Paromita Pain talks to Nesbit about how better information and communication access can help us live healthier and longer lives.

Kenyan women have been at the forefront of some recent newsworthy ICT innovations such as iCow and M-Farm. Dinfin Mulupi covers their success stories and finds that their entrepreneurship might help open doors for disadvantaged women across Kenya. Read more….

The country’s recent political and economic crises mean that Zimbabwe has
been late to experiment with advances in technology. This is finally changing,
as suggested by the recent introduction of mobile money products. Institutions
are clamoring to launch products to profit from this untapped market.

Innovation in the mobile money sector is coming from non-telecom companies. Two new platforms launched this year in Kenya are experimenting with new e-commerce features for individuals and companies. Will the new services reduce the number of Kenya’s “unbanked” population? Dinfin Mulupi reports.

The digital divide in Kenya is greatest between urban and rural areas. Efforts are underway to address this disparity by opening ICT hubs in every constituency across the country. In the process, thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs are getting business training. By Dinfin Mulupi For the majority of Kenyans without a computer, a combination of public and private efforts should bring the benefits of digital communication within reach – or at least within a few kilometers. When complete, these projects will have established hundreds of ICT centers across the country.The installation of three fiber-optic cables in Kenya has paved the way for increased bandwidth speed, greater Internet penetration and slightly lowered internet costs.