HumanITwww.twitter.com/Centre4HumanIT

www.kau.se/en/humanit

Jakob Svensson, Director

http://m4d.humanit.org

http://m4d.humanit.org

Over 5.3 billion connected by November 2010

Access to mobile networks available to 90% of the world population

200 000 SMS sent every second

Mobile Telephony

73% of total mobile subscriptions are in developing countries

68% penetration rate in developing countries

Countries in development/ transition adopt mobile technology more rapidly

Mobile telephony is better distributed among income levels than fixed phones and Internet

Is used in inaccessible and rural regions (improving the livelyhood there)

99% of Internet subscriptions in East Africa in June 2009 where from mobile phones

Developing world is dominating

What is M4D?

Technology in itself does not lead to social change; people decide how a particular technology will be used and, depending on the political and socio-economic environment in which they live, adapt it accordingly

What is M4D?

The impact that mobile phones have on the developing world is as revolutionary as roads, railways and ports, increasing social cohesion and releasing the entrepreneurial spirit that stimulates trade and creates jobs

What is M4D?

Development?- Economic growth (reducing

transactional costs/ increasing sales)- Empowerment (learning / technical

pride / community-communication)- Choice (new associations- what to

participate in)

mHealth/ teleMedicine

mHealth/ teleMedicine

The NeedDr. Phuthego is the only Maxillofacial Surgeon in Botswana.

The SolutionRemote diagnosis and consultation using smartphones.

mHealth/ teleMedicine

mHealth/ teleMedicine

mAgriculture/ mLearning

mAgriculture

mLearning

mLearning

Other Areas of M4D

• mFinance• Governance and Participation

Makerere Mobile Mission

We, the participants of the M4D 2010 Conference held in Kampala, Uganda on 10-11 November 2010, call on all stakeholders to make greater efforts at seizing the development opportunities on the back of more widely spread use of mobile phones. In this context, services and applications that can involve and help serve the needs of the poor, are of particular importance.

Makerere Mobile Mission

The M4D 2010 Conference provided a unique platform to engage experts from academia, the private sector, civil society, donors and international organizations to examine available evidence and to explore possible needs for future action. Whilst there are clear indications of the potential positive effects of mobile phone use on the livelihoods of poor people, more systematic analysis is needed to convert anecdotes and isolated examples into generalizable and actionable evidence.

Makerere Mobile Mission

The Makerere Mobile Mission encourages all stakeholders to consider fully the potential for mobile phones, including in combination with other means, to support development through, inter alia, the following areas:

Makerere Mobile Mission

• Good governance and increased transparency

• Government services• Health care• Environment management• Rural development• Private sector development• Finance and insurance• Improved livelihoods• Citizen empowerment

Makerere Mobile Mission

The potential is evident. It is our common responsibility to turn this into reality, and we need to work in partnership.

• Academia needs to scale up efforts to analyze the impact of current uses of mobile phones and understand the needs of users.

• The private sector can fund research and has a crucial role to play in terms of providing equipment, services and applications that can meet the needs of the intended users.

Makerere Mobile Mission

• Civil society can serve a critical function in monitoring developments on the ground and helping citizens to gain a stronger voice.

• Governments must attach adequate attention to the scope for mobile solutions in their development strategies. They need to provide an enabling environment to this end. They should also harness mobiles when designing and discharging their public services.

• Development partners need to ratchet up their interest and activities in the M4D area. Their active involvement and support are needed to fund independent research and to accelerate the expansion of our knowledge base.

Participants of the M4D 2010 Conference Kampala, 11 November 2010

The Future of M4D?

• Need for a greater conceptual and methodological rigor (theory and method) in the conduct of research (Duncombe)

• Importance of effective dissemination of research for informing policy and practice (Duncombe)

• Need for both theory and methodology development and discussion within the area of M4D

• Design Services for non-literate communities (White)

• M4D2012 India?

Thank you for listening!

http://m4d.humanit.org