Editor’s note: Today we are featuring a guest post from Pelayo Omotoso, Head of Practice, Core & Cloud, for Ericsson Region Sub-Saharan Africa:
The fourth season of Game of Thrones, the popular HBO TV series adapted from the fantasy novels of George R. R. Martin, is the most watched HBO TV series of all time with a record 18.6 million gross viewers. While often discussed for its stunning and often shocking visuals, I have always been drawn to the strong character narratives that have sustained Martin’s readership through five novels since 1996, with the promise of two more in the works.
One of Martin’s most endearing characters is Jon Snow, the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, which guards “The Wall,” the most northerly outpost of the show’s kingdom. Jon Snow has been described by The New York Times as one of Martin’s finest creations; a complex, thoughtful character, striving to live honorably. Through Snow’s narrative, we live through decisions that have not just personal but also broader societal consequences. We learn the hardships of going against the grain, of the high price that individuals often pay for the courage of their convictions. And we saw Snow pay a huge price in a recent episode, ambushed and stabbed by fellow members of the Night’s Watch.
Thankfully our modern societies are less bloodthirsty that the world of Jon Snow. However, we still need the courage to be daring in the face of convention. One of the stories that inspired my journey into telecommunications in Africa was Iqbal Quadir’s move back to Bangladesh to establish what became GrameenPhone’s Village phone program. He quit a very successful life in the USA, and combated conventional thinking about the utility of connectivity. This was one of the first successful sustainable rural rollouts of telecommunication services in the developing world. Quadir’s TED Talk, How Mobile Phones can Fight Poverty, is definitely worth the 15 minutes of your time. One of the fundamental concepts of his talk is the democratization of societal advancement that is enabled by technology.
Sadly, it is often the case in the real world too that policy frameworks lag behind the hard-won advances in technology. Often the walls that technology must vault are not just those that create societal divides but also the antiquated or ill-advised policy frameworks that stifle its potential. While regulators are often desperate to achieve the sort of legislative environment that unlocks the true potential of technology, they labor under conditions of limited resources and competing priorities. This is especially true in Africa, where the impact of telecommunication on the lives of people is hard to overstate. When countries implement broadband plans supported by aligned policies and regulations, a dynamic business environment is created in which the whole society thrives.
My take away is that we do not need more or even better legislators, we just need more Jon Snows and Iqbal Quadirs; citizens, regardless of being part of the private sector or government, demonstrating the courage of their convictions through actions that bootstrap the community and shape the destiny of our continent. We see this happening in Africa too. The mobile money revolution has been catalyzed by the spirit of innovation, first in East Africa, and increasingly across the continent.
But we must first work together to break down the walls and barriers to technological transformation, including the creation of enabling legislation through collaborative engagement. We need to be inspired by the stories of GrameenPhone in Bangladesh; Mpesa in Kenya; and steeled by the character of Jon Snow. Not because he watches The Wall, but because he had the courage to surmount the walls that stand in the way of technological transformation, and create a legacy of lasting significance.
The post Breaking down the walls to technological transformation: a tribute to Jon Snow appeared first on The Networked Society Blog.
