A mobile applications innovation ecosystem framework for Botswana

Text in EnglishThe role that locally relevant services and content can play in the development of societies cannot be underestimated. The proliferation of mobile phones in Africa’s developing countries is a significant enabler, which provides access to such locally relevant services and content. Mobile applications have the potential to support the development of the African continent through bolstering the main mechanisms of innovation, inclusion and efficiency. This has been demonstrated by instances of increased literacy, improved access to health care, banking, crowd sourcing and provision of farming and/or agricultural assistance. Successful cases of such mobile-based services include Kenya’s M-Pesa, which has allowed millions of rural people, who do not have access to traditional banking facilities, to send and receive money as well as pay utility bills and school fees. The development of similar innovative and locally relevant mobile-based solutions, which is currently considered to be in its infancy, is key to improving the lives of people in developing countries. This study identifies the essential components of an innovation ecosystem, for the development and presentation of a Mobile Applications Innovation Ecosystem Framework for Botswana. An innovation ecosystem enables effective interaction amongst entrepreneurs, companies, universities, research organisations, investors and government agencies towards maximising economic impact and potential. To gain a practical understanding of the context in which locally relevant mobile-based services can be developed, the study adopted a pragmatic research approach. Through combining the 4Cs Framework for ICT and the systems theory’s Triple Helix Model of Innovation, the study proceeded to develop the framework using a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology. DSR guided the identification of the components, which make up the mobile applications innovation ecosystem within government, industry and higher education sectors, as extracted from the literature review. This process facilitated initial framework designs, which were demonstrated to and evaluated by conveniently sampled stakeholders from relevant helices. Thereafter a synthesised framework was presented for evaluation by knowledgeable professionals from the mobile applications innovation ecosystem. The study contributes to the theoretical knowledgebase by presenting a theoretical framework for understanding ICT4D innovation frameworks and mobile applicationsSchool of ComputingPh. D. (Information Systems

The Components of an Innovation Ecosystem Framework for Botswana’s Mobile Applications

Please access the full-text of this article via the DOI link at the top of the record.The literature on information and communication technology comprises numerous studies on the role of mobile technologies in developing communities, including examples of innovative mobile applications which improve literacy and access to healthcare, banking and agricultural services. There is a growing understanding that sustainable development requires more than rational, scientific and technological means – it also requires a web of support from both social networks and business infrastructure. Innovation ecosystems consist of economic agents and relations, as well as non-economic components such as technology, institutions, sociological interactions and culture, which facilitate idea-making, innovation and the diffusion of such innovations. There is, as yet, no evidence-based innovation ecosystem conceptualisation to describe the situation in Botswana. This study aims to identify and present the essential components of a mobile application innovation ecosystem, by using Design Science Research methodology and adopting a pragmatic research approach which draws on two theoretical streams: the Computing, Connectivity, Content and Capacity (4Cs) framework for information and communications technology, and a systems theory-based Triple Helix Model of Innovation. In addition to making a theoretical contribution towards understanding information and communications technology for development innovation frameworks, the study provides practical recommendations in respect of supporting mobile application innovations in Botswana.School of Computin