Contents

pp v-vi

List of illustrations

pp vii-vii

Acknowledgements

pp viii-ix

Abbreviations

pp x-xii

Introduction

pp 1-12

Part I - Technology diffusion: The spread of mobile calling and internet

pp 13-14

Prologue (1986–2004)

pp 15-18

1 - Mobile voice calling booms (1993–2004)

pp 19-47

2 - Bandwidth as the digital economy’s fuel: Getting sub-Saharan Africa connected (1991–2015)

pp 48-82

3 - Cheaper mobile internet and low-cost smartphones come together with apps sub-Saharan Africans want to use (2005–18)

pp 83-106

Part II - Technology influences: Uses, behaviours and abuses

pp 107-108

4 - Mobile money: From transferring cash by SMS to a digital payments ecosystem (2000–20)

pp 109-132

5 - Sub-Saharan Africans start to live the digital life (2000–20)

pp 133-156

6 - Sprinkling on the magic dust: Digital’s impact on development (1982–2020)

pp 157-192

7 - The ugly underbelly of the communications revolution: corruption, cronyism, regulation and government (1999–2020)

pp 193-216

Part III - Taking the long view: Start-up innovation and complex behaviour change

pp 217-218

8 - Sub-Saharan African start-ups: Getting beyond the hype to address deep market challenges (1995–2020)

pp 219-248

9 - Doing complexity: Making sense of what has happened over thirty-five years

pp 249-271

Appendix A: Glossary

pp 272-273

Appendix B: List of those interviewed

pp 274-277

Select bibliography

pp 278-280

Index

pp 281-291