The makerere mobile mission
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The document summarizes the discussions and conclusions from the M4D 2010 Conference in Kampala, Uganda. The conference participants called on stakeholders to seize development opportunities from the spread of mobile phones, particularly applications that can help the poor. While mobile phones show potential to positively impact livelihoods, more analysis is needed to understand real impacts. The Makerere Mobile Mission encourages stakeholders to consider how mobile phones can support areas like governance, health, education and more. All parties have responsibilities to realize this potential through research, services, monitoring and support.
The makerere mobile mission
- 1. The Makerere Mobile Mission We, the participants of the M4D 2010 Conference held in Kampala, Uganda on 10- 11 November 2010, call on all stakeholders to make greater efforts at seizing the development opportunities on the back of more widely spread use of mobile phones. In this context, services and applications that can involve and help serve the needs of the poor, are of particular importance. The M4D 2010 Conference provided a unique platform to engage experts from academia, the private sector, civil society, donors and international organizations to examine available evidence and to explore possible needs for future action. Whilst there are clear indications of the potential positive effects of mobile phone use on the livelihoods of poor people, more systematic analysis is needed to convert anecdotes and isolated examples into generalizable and actionable evidence. The Makerere Mobile Mission encourages all stakeholders to consider fully the potential for mobile phones, including in combination with other means, to support development through, inter alia, the following areas: • Good governance and increased transparency • Government services • Health care • Environment management • Rural development • Private sector development • Finance and insurance • Improved livelihoods • Citizen empowerment The potential is evident. It is our common responsibility to turn this into reality, and we need to work in partnership. • Academia needs to scale up efforts to analyze the impact of current uses of mobile phones and understand the needs of users. • The private sector can fund research and has a crucial role to play in terms of providing equipment, services and applications that can meet the needs of the intended users. • Civil society can serve a critical function in monitoring developments on the ground and helping citizens to gain a stronger voice. • Governments must attach adequate attention to the scope for mobile solutions in their development strategies. They need to provide an enabling environment to this end. They should also harness mobiles when designing and discharging their public services. • Development partners need to ratchet up their interest and activities in the M4D area. Their active involvement and support are needed to fund independent research and to accelerate the expansion of our knowledge base. Participants of the M4D 2010 Conference Kampala, 11 November 2010