illUStration by StUart bradFord
growing African mobile application
is mobile banking. Previously a continent of largely unbanked populations, service providers are rapidly
adding low-cost mobile banking solutions for their customers. One of
the leaders in this important area is
Kenyan mobile service provider, Sa-faricom. Its M-PESA mobile banking
service obviates the need for a physical branch, allowing users to conveniently save, transfer, and spend
large and small amounts of cash no
matter their physical location or economic status. Rather than simply
offering a mobile portal for existing
bank customers, as is common in
Western nations, M-PESA has created new customers from a population
previously denied banking services.
The continued growth of mobile
banking has the potential to rapidly
modernize commerce and personal
finance in Africa.
Beyond assisting in the modern-
ization of African economies, mo-
bile phones have provided welcome
security uses as well. Following
post-election violence in 2008, Ke-
nyans were able to send SMS alerts
regarding outbreaks of violence,
thus allowing officials and activists
to accurately track and respond to
threatening situations (see http://
www.ushahidi.com/). In Tanzania,
police provided free mobile phones
to albino citizens in response to tar-
geted murders against that popula-
tion. The phones were programmed
with a special number to directly
contact the police allowing users to
report threats. 1
Security Vulnerabilities
Certainly the potential gains for Africa
are great, but a growing dependence
on mobile phones elicits cause for concern. Worldwide trends indicate significant security problems for mobile
telephony in the coming years. Mobile devices and networks will become
increasingly vulnerable in every way
that networked desktops and laptops
currently are. Particularly as mobile
phones become more vital to personal
commerce and finance, the devices