Wealth In Africa Mapped Using Mobile Phone Data 34
KentuckyFC writes "The remarkable growth of mobile phone use is transforming many parts of Africa. In Sudan and Gabon, more than half of all adults use their phones to transfer money, the activist website Ushahidi used text messages to map post-election violence in Kenya in 2008 and in Nigeria, mobile music services are a multi-million dollar industry. Now demographers have used the way people purchase airtime to map wealth in Cote d'Ivoire on Africa's west coast. They analysed a dataset from one of the country's largest mobile operators containing caller IDs, the cell towers used for each call and the time and amount of all airtime purchases. The researchers say an individual's airtime buying habits are a good proxy for his or her income. As a result, they were able to to map wealth across the entire country. Their map clearly shows the wealthy cities such as Abidjan, the largest seaport in West Africa. But it also shows an unexpectedly wealthy region in the conflict-ridden area that borders Liberia. This wealth probably arises from illegal activities on the border, such as drug, arms and human trafficking, they conclude."
Re:It would be nice to see a map (Score:5, Informative)
Remove the last character from the link.
[John]
Re:Wealth in Africa is... (Score:4, Informative)
Hardly. Basic mobile phones in West Africa cost about $20, or about a month's wages, when purchased in a store. When bought from a street vendor or from a friend, they can be had for as little as $1 for a very low-end model.
Where in America, a phone is a status symbol showing how much wealth you can spend luxury, in Africa it's a declaration that you will be a part of modern globally-connected society. To cultures emphasizing family and tribal relationships, and now facing decline as tribe members leave for economic gain elsewhere, a cell phone represents the ability to always stay connected. A village that is still able to contact its departed members is held in higher regard than one with just money. Much of Africa's history has seen forms of money come and go, but territorial influence is always valued.