The Future of Apps in Africa

by Andy Amsler · 2010-10-10 08:50:00 UTC
Topics:

Apps 4 AfricaWhen the Apps 4 Africa competition launched back in July, there was little doubt that technology and innovation were a promising solution to the very real challenges facing the people of the African continent. With the announcement of the contest winners earlier this week, we know just what those solutions are shaping up to be.

There were some questions raised at the outset of the contest, which was sponsored by the U.S. State Department, *iHub, Appfrica Labs, and SODNET.  Skeptics wondered how realistic the apps would be, but the results have quieted those concerns. First place winner iCow is a voice-based app that helps farmers track the estrus stages (read, when they’re in heat) of their cows. Kleptocracy Fighters Inc. is an app that makes it easier for citizens to report and document government corruption in real-time. And Mamakiba is an app targeted to low-income women to help them save and prepay for maternal health care. These apps and the many other ideas that came out of the contest show far more utility than anything we see marketed here in the U.S. – and rightfully so.

The African continent represents the fastest growing market for mobile technologies and what they need more than all else are applications that have real-life uses, although finding out the latest soccer scores or what song is playing on the radio is nice, too. Question is, will Africans take notice? Many signs point to yes. In the short time the contest was open, activists and technologists alike in Africa were coming together with their communities to demonstrate the importance of pursuing new technologies in improving daily life and livelihood.

Only time will tell whether apps like these make any sort of real impact, but the contest represents something greater for the future intersection of innovation and the fight against poverty around the world, as I've written about before. It shows that the best technological innovations are a product of the people who will use them, that the best applications in life come from the bottom up. Let's hope this contest is but a starting point for what can be accomplished to this end.

Photo Credit: DavidDennisPhotos

Andy Amsler is a DC-based writer and passionate advocate for innovation in the fight against global poverty.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Don't Forget About Perinatal Mental Health
NEXT STORY:
A letter from Bettina Siegel, "Pink Slime" petition creator

COMMENTS (0)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.