13 August 2011

How Can Philanthropy and Technology Co-evolve for Development?

From TechSoup Global

How Can Philanthropy and Technology Co-evolve for Development? A Review of the “Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development” Report

Philanthropists, nonprofits, and the development sector as a whole cannot underestimate the role they have to play in understanding and using technology for development. But they must also be informed about the implications of its use. This is one of the key messages I garnered from the lengthy but interesting and provocative Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development report, recently published by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Business Network. Engaging the imagination, it puts forward four global scenarios, with an accompanying fictional case study, that describe how philanthropy and technology may co-evolve for development. I’ve summarized the report and its main points for you as an easy introduction to this important topic.

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12 August 2011

Smartphones will drive Africa’s Internet uptake

Affordable smartphones, together with the falling mobile data tariffs, are set to drive an Internet adoption wave across Africa.

That’s according to Craige Fleischer, the Regional Director for Southern Africa at Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of the BlackBerry device.

Fleischer says the next phase in the development of the continent’s mobile market is mobile Internet.

RIM has witnessed huge growth in the usage of data services among its African customers- small businesses and large private and public sector companies, he says.

According to an Informa Telecoms and Media report, there will be about 265 million data subscribers in Africa by 2015, up from the current 12 million subscribers.

Smartphones such as the BlackBerry smartphone will play a vital role in boosting data access in South Africa and other parts of Africa by bringing affordable online data plans.

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http://bit.ly/mTdeZD

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