Viewpoint: Rails, Not Rockstars
By Raj Kumar
In 2007, Nairobi vendors discovered a newfound freedom: buying inventory with only a phone. No bank account. No credit card. Just M-PESA, a mobile payment that now processes over KES 140 billion annually (roughly $980 million US) or 3,000 transactions per second. Since then, M-PESA has become the lifeblood of East Africa’s economy. But here’s the uncomfortable part: As millions across Africa went mobile, development experts were writing checks for landlines. Development brought wires while Africa went wireless.
Photo courtesy of Bob Mical.
Source: SSIR (link opens in a new window)
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