When we spoke to experts in the field, this was not a major concern for them. Indeed, a couple mentioned that often convincing people to use a development intervention is an uphill battle—but people needed no convincing to use cell phones.
This seems to be borne out by usage statistics; even though devices are expensive (44% of monthly income is a lot), usage is growing a lot. GSMA has smartphone usage doubling in sub-Saharan Africa doubling from 2014-2019 (pg. 17). World Bank research suggests the major barrier entry to using a mobile device is not lack of interest, but affordability.
When we spoke to experts in the field, this was not a major concern for them. Indeed, a couple mentioned that often convincing people to use a development intervention is an uphill battle—but people needed no convincing to use cell phones.
This seems to be borne out by usage statistics; even though devices are expensive (44% of monthly income is a lot), usage is growing a lot. GSMA has smartphone usage doubling in sub-Saharan Africa doubling from 2014-2019 (pg. 17). World Bank research suggests the major barrier entry to using a mobile device is not lack of interest, but affordability.