Rwanda's telecom system can transform the nation from being an emerging market into a middle class economy. Rwanda is a bench mark to explain how social media has changed our world for the good.
The social media era changes the entire paradigm on how business, countries and individuals function. In this era, you can have extreme limitations. Rwanda has extreme limitations that would have precluded it in years past from becoming a middle class economy. Rwanda is landlocked. It has no major mineral deposits, such as oil. Nine out of 10 of its citizens are subsistence farmers. Disease and civil unrest have hurt Rwanda immensely. More than half of its population is 16 or less. These are significant limitations.
Today, we have social media and it is a game-changer. Social media, if used correctly has the ability to allow Rwanda to overcome its limitations and to become a significant player in the world economy.
Rwanda is only part of what is going on in modern Africa. Africa is on the move economically. Africa desires to move from an emerging market into a middle class market economy. In the 1980's, we saw the development of the Asian Tigers. In our era, we are seeing the development of the African Gorillas. The Gorillas and the Tigers are analogous. The Asian Tigers, the nations of South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong started out as nations with severe limitations. Their biggest asset was the Pacific Ocean. This created an export economy.
The Gorillas biggest asset is social media. The Gorillas can create a market economy on social media platforms. This asset overcomes the limitations capital, time, and space. The Gorillas can create content, move it anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds, and receive their pay electronically. It is not inconceivable to think that an African, in their village, could become a millionaire by selling real estate online.
In this article, we are going to concentrate on Rwanda and explain how a "smart" phone system can transform Rwanda into a middle class economy. Rwanda has limitations, but it also has significant resources. Seven out of ten of its citizens are literate and one in four own a mobile phone.
The basic resources are present for Rwandan development. Rwanda is going to need to bring the resources together. Rwanda is going to need a specialized type of network. The operating system must be a 'smart' phone operating system.
To thrive, Rwanda is going to have to become part of the global economy. Rwandan business people will have to be able to move their resources around the world quickly. Rwanda has a well-developed telecom system. What they need is a specialized system. A 'smart system' must be in place, because then Rwandans can just touch the screen then read and manipulate icons that are in symbol. This system must be simple to read and easy to use. It has to be user friendly. An ease of use interface is critical in moving content and information quickly. Speed is critical in the global economy.
This system already exists in the United States. For Rwanda, this system could be slimed down and adjusted for Rwandan uses. An existing American company has this system in play. For this article, we shall call this company A and its operating system OS. A's products are simple, elegant, and easy to use. A places a premium on products that look nice, are easy to use, and have a strong open network that is simple. A simple network is critical because applications can be developed, that is geared for the African market, and is placed easily into the system.
A's approach to development and design is to achieve the very most with the very least. The system relentlessly focuses on customer experience and avoids anything that will compromise an elegant experience. Simplicity and accessibility are the two criteria for the A OS. This is why this system is critical in the development of contemporary Rwanda. A creates products differently than most western companies. They create products with the end user in mind.
The products that most Western companies develop do not emphasize user convenience and experience. A's products are not just a collection of parts. In product development every detail is refined and if something does not belong there, it is eliminated. Its music was not the first digital music player. The many devices before had many buttons and dials that appealed to gadget obsessed geeks with the time to figure out how to work them. A's music player was elegant, attractive, and sleek. It was a digital juke box that held 1,000 songs and yet fit into your hand. If you wanted a song, it was a simple few clicks away. The A music player was simple, easy, and natural.
This is the system that Rwanda needs. They need a basic, open, operating system, which developers can create applications for as the need develops. The African applications are geared toward the African market. The applications are simple. The new applications may even appeal to a Western market. The applications can then be marketed to Western markets. If the content is popular, you now have a very successful software company operating in Rwanda, employing Africans at middle class wages.
Dean Hambleton
dnhambleton
