Mobile Phones and Development in Africa

"A must read for any development policy maker or practitioner especially if they are thinking about how and where digital technologies can add value and improve the livelihoods of the poor…Most important of all…(they) provide a framework to think about when and how digital is the solution."

—Tavneet Suri, Louis E. Seley, Professor of Applied Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

" I strongly recommend this book to all researchers and students interested in this area."

—Yaw Nyarko, Professor of Economics and Director of NYU Africa House, Center for Technology and Economic Development, New York University

"This is a very important book about a technology that has transformed all of our lives along multiple dimensions—mobile phones. This book cuts through the hype and hyperbole, and it provides a meaningful and theory-informed treatment of how information technology is shaping economic development in low-income countries—as a communication device and a financial service device."

—Erwin Bulte, Professor of Development Economics, Wageningen University
This book focuses on the impact of information technology on the lives and livelihoods of rural households in sub-Saharan Africa, where simple mobile phones have leapfrogged traditional communication and financial technologies, and thus, arguably, offer some of the greatest potential for development. Drawing on primary and secondary research from a variety of disciplines, the authors examine the evolution of mobile phone coverage and adoption in sub-Saharan Africa over the past two decades, before exploring the main channels through which mobile phones can affect development. They then review initiatives on “digitizing development” and evaluate empirical evidence on their impact. The book argues that digital has yet to live up to the hype, ending with a set of questions that stakeholders should ask (and answer) when using digital technology for promoting development.Jenny C. Aker is Professor of Development Economics at the Fletcher School and the Department of Economics at Tufts University, Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Global Development, Senior Researcher at Wageningen University, and co-Chair on “Digital Trust” at the Fondation pour les Etudes et Recherches sur le Développement International (FERDI).
Joël Cariolle is Research Officer at the FERDI (France) and Associate Researcher at the CERDI – University Clermont-Auvergne. He conducts research on digitalization and development, and he contributes to the FERDI “Digital Trust” Chairs.