Technology & Innovation

Mobile opportunities for Africa

March 07, 2016

Africa

March 07, 2016

Africa
Onno Schellekens

Managing director

Onno Schellekens is the Managing Director of the PharmAccess Group, one of the pioneers of HIV/AIDS treatment in Africa. The PharmAccess Group aims to improve access to affordable quality health care for people in sub-Saharan Africa. It mobilizes public and private resources for the benefit of African doctors and patients through loans for healthcare providers (Medical Credit Fund), health plans and medical quality standards (SafeCare) and private equity (Investment Fund for Health in Africa).

“Mobile health (mHealth) is democratising healthcare in Africa as we speak, bringing healthcare to the people who need it most”, says Onno Schellekens, chief executive of PharmAccess Group, a Dutch NGO dedicated to inclusive healthcare.

The unprecedented rise of mobile-phone usage in Africa and its positive impact on social, political and health sectors is helping to transform African countries and their populations.  

Nigeria has one of the highest rates of mobile Internet usage in the world, as a share of total Internet users. The rise of its middle class and higher disposable incomes has generated considerable demand, but it is expected that demand will also start to come from lower-income groups as operators spread their coverage in rural areas.

The democratising effects of technology

Mobile technology played an important role in Nigeria’s recent legislative and presidential elections in March 2015. Following a close contest, the country had a peaceful change of government last year. That was a historic development because Nigerian elections in the past have often been marred by fraud allegations. "When things happen in Nigeria, it means it can happen anywhere else in Africa," according to Professor Khama Rogo of the International Finance Corporation's Health in Africa Initiative.

Online campaigns run by the candidates were one contributing factor behind Nigeria’s unexpected election success—next to biometric registration. The mobile phone allowed Nigerian citizens to act as election observers by monitoring the elections for incidences of fraud. They could immediately report any occurrence and send photos via their mobile. The results were accounted for immediately (thanks to electronic voting) and directly transmitted, leaving little room for government officials to fiddle with the numbers.

Technology is democratising Africa. As the mobile phone is rapidly transforming Africa’s economic and social fabric, it too can revolutionise the delivery of healthcare. Mobile communications companies are joining forces with NGOs and governments to bring healthcare directly within reach of those who need it most. Qualcomm, an American semiconductor company, recently launched a wireless reach initiative along with various stakeholders including Etisalat Nigeria. The programme offers midwives and healthcare workers tablets and connectivity to document patient information at the point of care and can help in the analysis and diagnosis of conditions that lead to maternal and infant mortality.

Inclusive healthcare through a mobile health wallet

By analysing mobile-user data it is possible to identify people who have been largely excluded from any support. The mobile phone offers unprecedented opportunities to connect them to health providers, as well as donors and local governments who give out health entitlements such as vouchers to vaccinate children, family-planning support or for bed nets to help protect against malaria. Mobile technology can bring together all the stakeholders in the health system.

Whether you live in a slum in Lagos or in a rural community, it is possible to receive these benefits in a "health wallet" on a mobile phone. In addition, it offers the opportunity to save, insure or share money for healthcare on a mobile phone. Family members, at home or abroad, can also pay into the health wallet, which restricts the use of these funds pending the decision of select healthcare providers that form part of the network that uses the health wallet. This m-Health application has been developed by PharmAccess, Vodafone/Safaricom and the M-PESA Foundation.

Digitising the distribution of health benefits and payments increases transparency for funders, healthcare providers and, most importantly, patients, who are empowered to take care of their own health. Participating providers have reported a 40% increase in revenue, and there is far less room for fraud.

Mobile health is democratising healthcare in Africa at a rapid pace. More than 100,000 women and their families in Kenya are primed to use a mobile "health wallet" to access care. A pilot programme in Lagos is showing promise, and so it is just a matter of time before mobile technology will help to provide a healthy future for Nigerians and other Africans in the region.

The takes place on March 7th and 8th with over 300 senior government leaders and business officials expected to attend. 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited (EIU) or any other member of The Economist Group. The Economist Group (including the EIU) cannot accept any responsibility or liability for reliance by any person on this article or any of the information, opinions or conclusions set out in the article.

Enjoy in-depth insights and expert analysis - subscribe to our Perspectives newsletter, delivered every week