Mobile phones are making their presence felt, even in very poor areas of Africa. The East African recently published a description by John Githongo of a family in Mabatini, an informal settlement in Mwanza, Tanzania. The father had recently died, and the mother was living with two teenage sons, one granddaughter and one other person. In that household of six people, there were seven active mobile phones.
Different phones accessed different networks to take advantage of cheaper intra-network calling rates. Phone conversations were kept short to minimise costs, but extensive use was made of text messaging and “beeping”, which involves calling but hanging up before the call is answered. A mobile phone was also used for accessing the Internet to keep up with pop stars featured on East African television.
According to Githongo, access to mobile phones and the Internet have significantly changed the nature of poverty. Material poverty no longer means information poverty. He argues that East Africans no longer need intermediaries to control the information they receive or exchange, and the rapid access to information may become a force for good in addressing endemic corruption, lack of government accountability, poor quality service delivery and impunity.