John Hoffmire: Cellphones driving progress and change in Africa
Published: Tuesday, Sept. 3 2013 9:12 a.m. MDT  In this
Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011, photo customers make money transfers
at an M-PESA counter in Nairobi, Kenya, as others wait outside.
A mobile phone banking service called M-PESA allows people
without a bank account to transfer money between phones
instantly anywhere in the country. More than 50 countries now
have such services, including Afghanistan. The fundraising
effort Kenyans for Kenya has raised more than $7 million for
drought victims. Bob Collymore, the head of telelphone company
Safaricom, said more than 86 percent of early donations to the
campaign came through M-PESA.  Sayyid Abdul Azim, Associated
Press  Throughout the developed world, the rise of cellphones as
a way to communicate and stay connected has been a potent force
in economic and social change. New devices and more connectivity
have changed not only the business landscape, but also the way
we interact with our friends, famil