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Technology and Innovation

Democracy in Development: Mobile Phones and Business in Africa

<p>A man uses his mobile phone as he walks past a Zain customer care shop in Nairobi on February 15, 2010 (Thomas Mukoya/Courtesy Reuters).</p>
A man uses his mobile phone as he walks past a Zain customer care shop in Nairobi on February 15, 2010 (Thomas Mukoya/Courtesy Reuters).

By experts and staff

Published
  • Isobel Coleman
    Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative; Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program

Yesterday on my blog, I discussed new developments in mobile technology that support business and entrepreneurship in Africa. As I wrote about one initiative, called Zidisha:

Would-be lenders can view entrepreneurs’ projects online and make a loan to a project of their choosing; Zidisha then transfers the money directly to the borrower. In Kenya, Zidisha takes the direct payment concept even further, sending a loan over Kenya’s mobile money system through a borrower’s cell phone.

You can read the full post here.