mobile phones - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Locally assembled handsets begin to drive Africa’s low-end smartphone shipments

AS Africa’s major currencies weaken against the US dollar, consumers are opting for more affordable smartphones with ‘premium features’ that are either locally assembled or made in China. According to two mobile phone tracking reports, local assembly initiatives for low-end smartphones have contributed to strong growth, particularly in Kenya. The International Data Corporation (IDC) has also listed the East African economy as the African market with the fastest shipment growth in 2023. The research firm also noted that Chinese brands have made a strong push in Nigeria - the economy with the continent's second-fastest shipment growth - helping consumers overcome…

Jul

2023

By NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI

In conservative Gaza, a woman finds rare job niche by repairing phones

WORLD

WALAA Hammad has found a niche repairing mobile phones from her home, offering services to other women in the conservative Palestinian enclave of Gaza who fear allowing male technicians access to their photos and social media accounts. Hammad set up her business with the help of 'Amjaad for Community Creativity and Development', a non-governmental organisation that aims through workshops and other activities to empower unemployed female graduates and help them to find jobs Economic opportunities in the blockaded Gaza Strip, where half the population is unemployed, are hard to come by, especially for women. But sometimes, being a woman can…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Musician’s app helps Kenyan creatives sell music and merchandise

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN pink trousers and a matching puffer jacket, Grammy-nominated Kenyan musician Bien-Aime Alusa gyrates on stage as he sings to a bank of swaying fans, many capturing the moment on their mobile phones. When the curtain drops on the concert in Nairobi, Alusa keeps making connections and profits through a digital streaming and payment platform, HustleSasa, which he co-founded to help artists recover from revenues lost to the coronavirus lockdown. HustleSasa, which officially launched in November 2021, allows the singer-songwriter and fellow creatives to stream music or sell branded merchandise, concert tickets, food, fashion and other services in one mobile…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Mobile phones can enable learning during school disruptions. Here’s how

EDUCATION

THE COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous pressure on education systems worldwide. At the peak of the crisis, school closures forced over 1.6 billion learners out of classrooms. This exacerbated a learning crisis that existed before the pandemic, with many children in school but learning very little. Widespread school closures are not unique to COVID-19. Teacher strikes, natural disasters, other disease outbreaks and extreme weather conditions all result in lengthy school closures. The cost of school closures has proved to be substantial, in particular for lower socioeconomic status households. When schools are closed, remote learning is rarely as effective as in-school instruction,…