12 predictions for Africa Tech Scene in 2012
It has been a banner year for the Africa technology scene as the world begins to turn to the continent – The Economist Africa rising cover story article was for many, a big validation in the future opportunities as well as challenges for Africa.
Here is a list of 12 predictions compiled by Mbwana Alliy for Afrinnovator
1) Feature phone to Smartphone + a touch of Tablet: Smartphone adoption will grow among Africa’s emerging middle class as entry prices for an unlocked phone continue to dip below $100. Nokia/Microsoft Symbian/Windows Phone and Google/Samsung Android will battle for smartphone dominance- Nokia’s strong brand and feature phone momentum will prove to be an advantage. But affordable Chinese smartphones led by Huawei’s Ideos will continue to tempt Africans to upgrade. Tablet usage will begin growing as prices drop below $200 starting within education sector. Check out the Nigerian tablet from Encipher based on Android, locally designed hardware customized to a big local market like Nigeria is a smart strategy if prices are kept in check. RIM’s Blackberry will continue to be adopted by the elite and corporate circles- one of the last bright spots for RIM’s declining dominance who initially popularized the smartphone category.
2) Evolution & Maturity of Mobile Money: Mobile money will begin to grow with other mobile operators in other countries (emulating Safaricom’s M-PESA success in Kenya) after operators refine and adapt their marketing and customer education programs
mHealth: Closing the Gap Between Promise and Adoption
Stakeholders at last week’s third annual mHealth Summit in the Washington, D.C., area touted the potential of mobile health technology to improve health care quality, increase patient centeredness and reduce costs. However, they also acknowledged that while mobile tools have helped revolutionize nearly every other industry in the U.S., the health care field has lagged behind.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius — one of the summit’s keynote speakers — said, “Virtually every American today has a cellphone. … And every year, our phones have more features and computing power.” She added, “As our phones get more powerful, they are becoming our primary tools for doing everything from getting directions to deciding where to eat. And, increasingly, that includes using our phones to track, manage and improve our health.”
The promise of mobile health is not new. Health care leaders for several years have advocated for increasing use of mobile tools to help improve preventive health care, reduce unnecessary physician visits, curb rising health care costs and empower patients. Yet, widespread mobile health adoption has remained elusive.
Sebelius said, “Over the last few decades, we’ve seen information technology improve the consumer experience in almost every area of our lives. We’ve gone from waiting until a bank opened to make a deposit to 24-hour ATMs and paying bills online,” adding, “But health care has stubbornly held onto its cabinets and hanging files.”…Continue reading
