Archive for category: Technology

Information and stories about technology news.

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Listening to Africa

Listening to AfricaData collection is an extremely important part of solving any problem. It is key in understanding the needs of a person, place or thing and what impacts certain stimuli have on them. When it comes to people, this can be particularly difficult, especially in war-torn regions, impoverished nations or in migrant communities. Unfortunately, these are often the conditions of the extremely poor.

In order to understand global poverty and effective methods to eradicate it, data must be gathered on people and their living conditions, whatever they may be. Historically, groups such as the World Bank would collect this data personally, traveling to sites and interviewing locals. However, this can be a vastly ineffective way to gather data for the aforementioned reasons, as people may migrate or the area may be too dangerous to travel. Listening to Africa is an organization investing in technology to help solve this problem.

Listening to Africa is a program set up by the World Bank Group to collect data on global poverty. Listening to Africa is using mobile phones supplemented by information from statistical offices and nongovernmental organizations in Africa in order to systematically collect data on extremely poor regions.

The program marries two different approaches; face-to-face interviews and follow-up phone calls to monitor selected regions. Respondents are asked some simple questions to begin the process and take part in 20-minute phone calls each month as the program is carried out. Those who complete the surveys successfully are awarded credit to their phones. Data from these calls is then paired with data collection done in the field and with other statistical offices to help better understand real time conditions in impoverished regions.

Listening to Africa has a great potential for data analysts to communicate with policy-makers on actual conditions of these regions, which will, in turn, allow them to better serve these communities and eventually help bring global poverty to an end.

– Casey Hess
Photo: Flickr

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How Poverty Is Reduced Through Basic Technology

How Is Poverty ReducedMost modern technology is marketed towards the world’s wealthy, but that should not inhibit its potential to help the world’s poor. As prices fall and production increases, affordable and basic technology may be the solution for eradicating global poverty.

How is poverty reduced through basic technology? First and foremost, by understanding the realistic and productive uses for technology in a community and ensuring that it is relevant.

Too often there are stories of computers collecting dust in African classrooms, or new smartphone apps that can help impoverished people find work — in places where smartphones are unattainable. Despite the vast amount of information on the internet, it is hardly relevant to a rural family in a developing country and will rarely help them escape poverty. In reality, the technology that will help end poverty is more basic.

The United Nations is at the forefront of this vision, with the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) working towards the global spreading of information and communications technology (ICT). Founded in 1996, the IICD has come a long way in understanding the pragmatic strategy needed for implementing modern technology in developing countries. The IICD has learned that “it is not the technology itself that makes the difference but rather the people who own it and apply it.” Therefore, helping people get the most out of ICT is now as equally important to the organization’s mission as introducing it.

The IICD works to apply ICT to health, economic and education sectors in different communities around the world. It’s main focus is in the context of helping the U.N. meet its Millennium Development Goals — an effort that the IICD has been at the center of. In short, the IICD works to instigate large-scale social change through low-tech, relevant technology.

Other organizations, such as Kopernik, work on a smaller scale to improve the lives of many through simple technology. Kopernik connects poor, rural families with basic, life-altering technologies that not only save lives, but also save money and time. These simple technologies include water filters, fuel-efficient stoves and solar lights.

Technologies such as solar lights are affordable and sustainable, and their usage is linked to positive behavioral changes and higher household productivity. Investing and distributing this basic technology should be a major priority, for it is fundamental to increasing human development and reducing poverty.

It is not to say that computers and the internet are not infinitely useful and powerful, but we should keep in mind that the internet won’t help a child if they only have access to contaminated water. So, perhaps the question of how to eliminate poverty has a simple answer: distribute relevant, basic technology.

– Catherine Fredette

Photo: Google

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How Virtual Reality Is Fighting Global Poverty

Virtual Reality Is Fighting Global PovertyVirtual reality technology is such a recent phenomenon that we have only just tapped into its potential. This technology has been used to expand the capabilities of film and video games, to train soldiers and surgeons, to assist space missions and to aid patients in physical and mental therapy. Non-governmental organizations have found another use for it; now virtual reality is fighting global poverty.

One of the first major forays into using virtual reality to fight global poverty when the U.N. showed a film called “Clouds Over Sidra” which puts the viewer in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. The viewer is given a tour by a twelve-year-old girl named Sidra, who explains what her life is like at the camp.

The U.N. has shown this film and others through virtual reality headsets to potential donors at humanitarian fundraising events. These films have seemingly become a hit. At a March humanitarian pledging conference where donors viewed “Clouds Over Sidra,” $3.8 billion was donated to aiding Syrian refugees, well beyond the conference’s goal of $2.3 billion. In New Zealand, one out of six people who saw the film chose to donate, which was twice the normal donation rate.

A major reason why virtual reality is fighting global poverty so effectively is its ability to elicit empathy from viewers. In a 2013 experiment from Stanford University and the University of Georgia, two groups did a color-matching exercise in virtual reality, where one group pretended to be colorblind and the other group was forced into colorblindness through a filter. The study found that the second group spent twice as much time helping colorblind people than the first group. Similar experiments found that people who saw 65-year-old virtual avatars of themselves were more likely to save for retirement, and people who cut down a tree in a simulator used fewer napkins than people who read a description of what happens when a tree is cut down.

The intense, empathetic reactions to VR films have not been lost on VR film producers such as Robert Holzer, CEO of Matter Unlimited. “I’ve never experienced such a visceral reaction to any form of media,” says Holzer. “People are left with something closer to what a memory is, versus what they are left with when it is something that they just watched, and that to me is the wild difference of VR.”

The apparent success of virtual reality has caused other global development nonprofits, such as Amnesty International and Trickle Up, to invest in virtual reality films. It seems that virtual reality isn’t just for video games; it also has the potential to be a significant driver of development funding.

– Carson Hughes

Photo: Flickr

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Technological Advancements in Kenyan Education

Technological Advancements in Kenyan EducationNew technological advancements in Kenyan education are attracting students and parents to schools in the area. Such advancements not only aid the students’ learning, but also get them excited about going to school and getting a basic education.

Amaf Primary and Elim Academy in Kawangware, a low-income settlement in Nairobi, have already reaped the benefits of such technology. Since advertising their new computers, these schools both have waiting lists and excited students.

The M-Pesa Foundation Academy in Thika is also establishing itself as a benchmark for Kenyan education reform. Every student has their own iPad, allowing for free use of the Internet to nurture discovery and an interest in learning.

These efforts can be attributed to the eLimu project, which selected these schools to integrate interactive tablets into the classroom to allow them to use modern and advanced teaching methods.

Plan International Kenya is another organization that works alongside projects such as eLimu to advance literacy among children through the use of technology. After being piloted in 25 schools, Plan International Kenya is set to put its technological resources in 300 schools across the country.

With the help of such famous technical partners as Nokia, British Telecom and Lenovo, OSL works to help teachers create more interactive and inclusive learning methods and environments through information and communication technologies.

The main idea behind these new technological advancements in Kenyan education is to help teachers make school more exciting and interactive to attract more students.

After recognizing the success of the 16 pioneer teachers selected for training, the Kenyan government is now supporting the implementation of a project to work with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to train teachers to integrate modern technology into their teaching methods.

– Tucker Hallowell

Photo: Google

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Freedom of the Press and Social Media in Cambodia

Freedom of the Press in Cambodia

Over the past few weeks, the freedom of the press in Cambodia has suffered significantly. The country normally displays an impressive ability to support unbiased news sources, but the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen has recently directed a crackdown on opposing press organizations.

In anticipation of a threatening 2018 election, the government has shut down 19 radio stations and charged exorbitant taxes to other publications that do not support Hun Sen’s government. The U.S., European Union and the U.N. have all criticized the Cambodian government for its recent actions.

However, Hun Sen is empowered by President Trump’s attacks on free press and the current domestically-focused agenda, which has led to weak engagement with Southeast Asia. In recent years, social media has become a main source of news for Cambodians, and parties challenging the government have been able to use platforms such as Facebook to their advantage.

Social media use in Cambodia has surged dramatically since 2010, with the 2015 growth rate of Facebook users being 30 percent each year. Eight out of 10 of Cambodia’s most popular Facebook pages are political information sources, including news publications and political figures. Cambodians want personal connections with political figures, and thus value the opportunity to engage with candidates on Facebook. Another contributor to high political activity is the heated political climate which makes every issue into a political issue, according to deputy opposition leader Mu Sochua. Sochua believes that Facebook will be a crucial platform to communicate with Cambodians about her party’s values.

Hun Sen’s rival political candidate, Sam Rainsy, has accused Hun Sen of buying Facebook “likes.” The post landed him in prison for defamation, which is yet another example of the government suppressing the freedom of the press in Cambodia. Leaks revealing unflattering information about opposing parties is a common occurrence on political Facebook pages.

During the Arab Spring, social media proved to be a tool that allowed discontented citizens to organize and make their voices heard. In the week before Egyptian President Hosni Mubaraks resigned, tweets about politics increased from 2,300 to 230,000 per day. Videos featuring political protest or commentary went viral, building confidence in the peoples’ ability to organize to force the change they want to see.

Demands for political freedom on social media has inspired other nearby countries, sparking political discussion in the entire region. Government efforts to restrict discussion on social media has only fueled the change makers, since social media is much harder to control than traditional press organizations.

The desire for reform regarding freedom of the press must originate from the Cambodian people, and Facebook can be a tool used to amplify their voices. The Cambodians’ extensive involvement in politics on social media is a promising sign for their ability to come together to protect their political freedoms, even when the freedom of the press is being threatened.

– Kristen Nixon

Photo: Flickr

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App Boosts African Informal Economy

African Informal Economy

The informal economy in sub-Saharan Africa is booming. Comprised of jobs ranging from independent manufacturers to food vendors, the informal economy is responsible for nearly 70 percent of employment in the sub-Saharan. Additionally, it’s estimated that on average, the African informal economy accounts for nearly two-fifths of national GDP.

Working in the informal economy does come with certain challenges. Access to communication technology and money transfers is particularly difficult. Additionally, access to loans for ready liquid capital is slim. Most could be addressed with banking infrastructure and all are necessary services that businesses operating in the formal economy enjoy.

However, from the bank’s perspective, it is not in their financial interest to service many in the informal economy. Many unbanked Sub-saharan Africans, nearly 500 million of them, consistently make small transactions—usually less than $5  a day. For this reason and the cost of opening and maintaining banking branches, banks don’t consider these individuals serviceable.

That’s where companies like Nomanini step in.

Nomanini, meaning “Anytime” in saSwiti, is just one of several tech companies investing in the African informal economy. With the use of mobile point-of-sale (PoS) devices, individuals can become walking, talking ATMs.

Nomanini’s physical PoS terminal is no bigger than perhaps two smartphones put together and is fully wireless. The Google cloud also hosts the system, giving clients more stability.

Armed with the PoS device, vendors can sell pre-paid mobile airtime, electricity, facilitate banking transactions, and help others pay their bills. In some cases, clients are even granted micro-loans, allowing them access to working capital and the opportunity to build credit.

With the help of Nomanini’s digital PoS app, the African informal economy is exploding. Some vendors have seen their monthly incomes grow 20-30 percent.

Since launch in 2010, Nomanini has facilitated more than 16 million transactions. With the help of Nomanini, the African informal economy, armed with only smartphones and a wireless connection has shown its viability, It has also proven that its large number of unbanked shouldn’t be ignored by institutions just because of the size of their transactions.

– Thomas James Anania

Photo: Flickr

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Private Education in India

Private Education in India

Despite an impressive adult literacy rate of 71.2 percent, the public education system in India is struggling, with half of primary-aged students unable to read a basic text and two thirds unable to do basic math. Consequently, over the last eight years there has been a definite decrease in public school enrollment in India, with a 10 percent drop in primary school enrollment from 2008 to 2014. Though 62 percent of primary-school students do still attend public school, the overall decrease in attendance is attributed to a 35 percent rise in private education in India, as parents seek better educational opportunities for their children.

In 2016, over 58 percent of Indians cited a preference for private education due to a “better environment of learning.” Additionally, 22.4 percent of rural respondents and 18.6 percent of urban respondents also asserted that the quality of public education is not satisfactory. Such is why some 300,000 low-cost private schools have sprang up across the country in an effort to address the desire for better education and capitalize on the market for it.

Yet, these low-cost private schools lack a universal curriculum and set of standards, causing inconsistencies in education. This results in varying levels of opportunity for further education due to irregularities in what has previously been learned. In an effort to address this issue of non-existent universality, an organization called Standard of Excellence in Education and Development (SEED) has arisen.

SEED addresses these inconsistencies by partnering with underperforming low-cost private schools to provide standardized curriculums and teacher training to improve the overall education offered. Its focus is on technology-driven curriculum, with an emphasis on social development, through the implementation of school-based extracurricular activities. Further, SEED’s teacher trainings aim to both support and advance teachers by providing lesson plans and information on innovative teaching methods.

All of these initiatives work to improve the quality of education within these low-cost private schools, with the hopes of eventually creating a system of standardization for them as well. Though public education is overtly struggling, private education in India is both on the rise and improving along the way. With 6.4 million students within its borders, the work of organizations like SEED could not be more crucial to shaping the future of the nation and our world.

– Kailee Nardi

Photo: Google

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How Social Entrepreneurship Can Benefit the Developing World

Social EntrepreneurshipAcross the developing world, a great number of social challenges are evident. Poverty, economic inequality and underdeveloped health services present a real threat to those who call these nations home. Previously, much of the relief provided to alleviate these issues has come through aid from more prosperous countries, however growing levels of alternatives, such as social entrepreneurship, are now being actively pursued.

Social entrepreneurs are those whose goal is the achievement of systemic and sustainable social change. Often this is through innovation, perhaps through the invention of a new product or technology, or through adaptation of existing methods, such as making aspects of healthcare more affordable to those who require it.

For social entrepreneurs, the end goal is poverty alleviation or societal development, whether in a non-profit or business setting.

The notion that social entrepreneurship could provide aspects of aid not covered through traditional means has become more popular in recent years. In 2011, the Global Entrepreneurs Council, a U.N initiative focused on the promotion of entrepreneurship around the world, was formed.

In 2013, USAID and DfID created the Global Development Innovation Ventures fund, targeting the alleviation of poverty by means of innovation. Resources such as these have enabled entrepreneurial minds across the developing world to begin affecting change in their towns and cities. Not only this, but it appears to endorse the belief that social entrepreneurship can benefit the developing world.

Geographical challenges to people in Southern Africa is a cause targeted by the Buffalo Bicycle Company, who build their bicycles specifically for the terrain and its difficulties. In Myanmar, the work of the Phandeeyar tech hub civil society groups connects those seeking to develop products in line with the country’s economic growth with technology professionals.

Education, not just in the traditional sense, but also in terms of leadership, social abilities and entrepreneurship, is the focus of Afroes, who provide their services to young people in South Africa through games and tools. The list of social enterprises successfully overcoming social issues in the developing world grows by the day.

The progress made by these types of enterprises has increased acceptance that social entrepreneurship can benefit the developing world. As social enterprises continue to multiply throughout developing nations, it has become increasingly apparent that, in order to create systemic change, focus should be placed on public services being used in tandem with social entrepreneurs.

As such, acknowledgment and understanding of the benefits provided through such partnerships should be prioritized by public leaders across the developing world so as to continue affecting the change that is so often drastically required.

– Gavin Callander

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Smart Cities in Nigeria to Help the Country Stay Connected

Smart Cities in NigeriaThe presence of cell phones with “smart” technology is something citizens of the United States and other developed countries often take for granted. This is easy to do in some places because it has become so incorporated into the economy. A new push for smart cities in Nigeria aims to do the same for the developing world.

Recently, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to embrace the idea of smart technology and incorporate it into Nigeria’s cities, hence the smart cities initiative. This initiative aims to implement technology with internet capability throughout as much of Nigerian city life as possible, in order to connect everyone’s devices to the extent similar to a country like the United States.

This will be accomplished through a partnership with Huawei, a global technology company with over 180,000 employees.  The company’s goal is stated to be to build a “better-connected world.”

In 2016, there were 75 million smart phone users in Africa, but this number is expected to reach 512 million by 2018.  Therefore, the Ministry of Communications in Nigeria has decided to launch the Smart City initiative in order to involve state and local governments in the push for smart cities.

Mr. Tank Li, the managing director of Huawei Technologies Nigeria Limited, states that the “Nigerian government has realized the potential of its digital economy.  Unlocking the dividends of digital economy becomes imperative in the face of dwindling oil revenue…infrastructural deficit, high unemployment rate, harsh business environment and corruption amongst others.”

The idea of a digital economy is growing in importance in today’s world, and it is something Nigeria seeks to embrace with its smart cities initiative. Smart cities in Nigeria will hopefully turn Nigeria’s economy in a sustainable positive direction, creating opportunity and efficiency in the next ten years, potentially adding up to $88 billion to the GDP in Nigeria and more than three million jobs.

Germany has stated a willingness to assist and partner with Nigeria as the smart cities initiative develops.  The German ambassador to Nigeria stated that Germany is ready to partner with Nigeria from the debate stage to the implementation level.

“We project in the near future a digital economy that will bring about enormous changes in society,” said Li.  “This fourth industrial revolution is going to impact people’s lives in unimaginable ways and this will happen through the convergence of the cyber and physical worlds.  The implementation of smart cities in Nigeria is a way for Nigeria to keep up with the ever-changing digital world.”

– Ellen Ray

Photo: Google

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The Use of Technology in Africa

Use of Technology in AfricaTechnology is developed to make life easier and more efficient. The use of technology in Africa has proliferated inside the classroom and throughout rural villages for developmental purposes. However, large corporations have started to view Africa as an open market, and now new technological devices are being used throughout the continent to solve some of the world’s greatest obstacles, such as world hunger.

Previously, the majority of African farmers used traditional farming styles to produce crops each season. Each farmer’s products were traded between local tribes or at regional markets, so expensive tools or a large farm was unnecessary. As a small percentage of farms grew, some took advantage of the technology available. African entrepreneurs are now interested in how farmers work and how they can help improve yields.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world’s population will grow to 9.1 billion by 2050. In order to feed that amount of people, global food production must increase by 70 percent.

Africa is projected to house approximately two billion people by 2050, so farm productivity must accelerate at an even faster rate than the global average to avoid continued mass hunger. Africa has suffered from continued famine and drought for decades at current population rates. With more mouths to feed, the consequences will be dire.

Farming technology will become increasingly important not only to Africa, but to the world and humanity itself.

Aerial images from satellites or drones, soil sensors, weather forecasts and cameras make it possible to manage and monitor crop growth. Automated systems provide early warnings if there are deviations from normal growth or other factors, giving the farmer time to plan and adjust.

Zenvus, a Nigerian precision farming startup, measures and analyzes soil data. Soil data includes temperature, nutrients and vegetative health. These aspects help farmers apply the right fertilizer and the perfect amount of irrigation to their farms.

The three largest tech companies on the ground that are increasing the use of technology in Africa are IBM, Microsoft and SalesForce. IBM realizes financial inclusion is the largest challenge within Africa, since approximately 80 percent of the population has no access to financial services. Microsoft developed 4Afrika, which focuses on instilling the knowledge of technology into the people, increasing access, building skills and creating the ability to eventually develop technology within Africa. SalesForce focuses on micro-financing for social enterprises and small rural farmers, among other projects.

Whether used as a tool for learning, a window to knowledge or a portal to share thoughts, the use of technology in Africa has drastically risen in the last decade. Precision farming methods have improved farm productivity and reduced input waste by using analytics to facilitate data-driven farming practices for small-scale farmers. However, much technology, investment, creative thinking and science is needed to feed the population of 2050. Technology, knowledge and innovation should be praised and rewarded in any country.

– Danielle Preskitt