Tech, Education, Impact & Ethics

At GSMA’s Mobile for Development team, I had the opportunity to lead several initiatives that explored how mobile technology could drive social impact at scale—in sectors ranging from agriculture and health to education. What made the work compelling was its location at the nexus of private sector innovation and public good. 

The real work—and impact—lay in building trusted, cross-sector partnerships that could align the reach of the private sector with the goals of development agencies and governments.

In education, we explored how mobile learning could close access gaps, particularly for young people excluded from formal schooling. Our mEducation report laid out a clear opportunity: mobile phones as a delivery mechanism for flexible, low-cost learning, particularly in contexts with limited infrastructure. But to make that opportunity real, we had to co-design services with learners and educators, and work with mobile operators to show how learning platforms could support customer engagement, data use, and social impact.

In health, our Pan-African mHealth Initiative partnered with ministries of health, telecoms, and global donors to scale mobile-based services for maternal and child health. Services like SMS reminders, hotlines, and nutrition tips were only effective when grounded in national priorities and trusted by frontline workers. We worked to ensure that content aligned with policy, that data was used ethically, and that incentives were clear—for both users and telecom partners.

In agriculture, our mAgri programme focused on smallholder farmers. Here, user-centred design was essential. By listening to farmers, we helped partners build services that delivered not just information, but value—like market prices, weather forecasts, and mobile-based financial tools. For mobile operators, these services opened new markets and use cases. For farmers, they opened a window into more stable, informed livelihoods.

Across all three sectors, several lessons stand out:

• Private sector engagement is critical—but it must be purposeful. Aligning incentives takes time, and it starts with understanding what value each partner brings—and needs.

• Ethical, inclusive design is non-negotiable. Gender barriers, digital literacy gaps, and trust issues must be built into the design process—not addressed after rollout.

• Scale comes from systems, not just pilots. Working with governments and integrating with existing strategies is the only way to move beyond short-term innovation.

Today, as we face a wave of AI-driven solutions, these lessons remain urgent. Technology must be designed with and for the people it intends to serve. And real innovation happens not just through product launches—but through systems change.

In education, health, or agriculture, one thing remains true: when sectors collaborate with humility and intention, we build the conditions for impact that lasts.