More cell phones than electricity in sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa seems to be an unlikely place to plug into the internet. Few homes have electricity and the pace of life is much slower than in technologically wired countries such as the United States or Japan. However the reality is, Sub-Saharan Africa is inundated with wireless technology. It is projected that by 2015, more people there will have cell phones than electricity.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - How is it that more people can have cell phones than electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa? It's because of  a broad series of initiatives by regional governments and international agencies have put this critical technology in the hands of the people. The benefits of the technology are simply amazing. As for charging the phones, the people just seem to find a way.

The Arab Spring movement is perhaps the most dramatic impact from the spread of wireless technology throughout the region. Wireless phones have given people access to the internet, and each other. Now able to plug-in to communities outside of their own, people can  exchange ideas, share news, and organize. As news and information spreads, people react accordingly. The Arab Spring movement is simply the most dramatic example.

However, the fundamental impact of this technology on Sub-Saharan Africa is not making news headlines, but it's making a difference in the lives of virtually everyone throughout the region. Cell phones are appearing in classrooms, in the hands of teachers and students and are being used as essential tools in the educational process.

This is a stark contrast to schools in the Western world where cell phones are almost universally forbidden. In sub-Saharan Africa, teachers have learned how to use the phones to get their lessons across.

Using the phones, teachers are able to download educational material, especially videos which they can then share with students. Downloading a video is actually cheaper and faster than obtaining mass quantities of textbooks. It also allows for educational content to be stored and accessed from the web, which means the schools no longer need to maintain libraries of multimedia content.

The phones also allow students to phone in and listen to prerecorded lectures. Along with the lectures there may be assignments or activities for the students to complete. This allows students to obtain their lessons without always having to travel to schools which can sometimes be far from home.

Mobile phones are also being used throughout Africa to videotape much of the violence and destruction that happens there. Once captured with a cell phone, videos can be uploaded to the internet. News and other information can be rapidly disseminated and bring worldwide attention to newsworthy events.

The widespread use of cell phones is bringing a wave of social change to the great continent of Africa. It is turning out that putting phones in the hands of the people is as vitally important as putting food, medicine, tools, or books in their hands. Above all, the phones are giving people the power to change their lives without needing to rely on the charity and goodwill of the rest of the world, or the benevolence of the occasional dictator. Thanks to the cell phone, the people of Sub-Saharan Africa have a hopeful future.

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