Det er ikke kun afghanske bønder, der drager fordel af det – de kan nu finde de seneste priser på landbrugsprodukter på 15 provinsmarkeder på mobiltelefonen – det gælder også bistandspersonel, som bruger løs af den nye kommunikationsteknologi.
KABUL, 2 May 2013 (IRIN): As Asia’s poorest country and the deadliest for aid workers, rugged Afghanistan offers a considerable challenge to humanitarian work.
But just as in parts of Africa, the only other area in the world with similarly poor infrastructure, rapid advances in information and communications technology (ICT) have had a profound impact on humanitarian activities over the past decade.
To make a phone call in 2001, the only option for many Afghans was a trip to neighbouring Pakistan. Now 85 percent of the population enjoys mobile phone coverage, and aid agencies are taking full advantage.
Despite the remoteness of many regions (with three-quarters of the population living in rural areas), the mobile phone network has expanded rapidly and by 2010 a USAID survey estimated that 61 percent of the population owned or had access to a mobile phone.
The country’s four major operators (Roshan, AWCC, Etisalat and MTN) share 18 million subscribers, according to a 2012 report by Research and Markets.
Five Afghan tech initiatives
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http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97936/Innovative-ICT-helps-aid-workers-in-Afghanistan
