Mobile Phone and the Transformation of Lives: a tale of two Communities in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone

Author: Steven Sam, Date: August 28 2013      In 2002, Sierra Leone celebrated a historic occasion which marked the end of the decade-long civil conflict. An important aspect of this era was the arrival of mobile telephony which interestingly coincided with the same year marking the end of the conflict. However, a decade after the arrival of this technology, it has penetrated in almost every corner of the country. Recent data obtained from the National Telecommunication regulatory body (NATCOM) and Sierratel suggest that close to half of the population (2.9 million) have access to mobile phones and more than 80% of the country is within coverage area. Undoubtedly, such an unprecedented penetration of the mobile phone in a country where telecommunication and economic infrastructure was almost completely destroyed during the decade-long civil conflict may spark an interesting question of how the mobile phone could possibly influence the everyday lives of people.

Indeed, evidence obtained during an exploratory trip to Sierra Leone towards my PhD project on the mobile phone and marginalised youth in March 2013 suggests that access to a mobile phone has benefited poor people by offering them an efficient way of communicating and accessing livelihood information. Among such beneficiaries identified are the fishing community in Tombo and the agricultural community in Pujehun. 

Tombo is one of the main fishing communities situated close to the capital Freetown. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. The majority of these inhabitants rely on fishing for their livelihood. In an interview with the harbour master Mr. Samuel Bangura as one of the key informants and a focus group discussion involving seven fishermen, it was revealed that the mobile phone has empowered local fishermen in this community to minimised wastage and increase revenue. In addition, the mobile phone has also helped minimise sea accidents, improve security risk at sea, and reduce illegal fishing when fishermen communicate and report such activity to the relevant authority while at sea.

Another community where the mobile phone is transforming the lives of poor people was in Pujehun rural community.  Pujehun town is located about 48 miles from southern Bo and about 128 miles from Freetown. The town is extremely underdeveloped with poor infrastructural development; there are no paved roads, no electrical supply. Poverty is extreme and the entire district depends on farming, mining and fishing for sustainable livelihood.

Despite the economic poverty and underdevelopment, mobile phone penetration is beyond expectation. Based on an informal interview involving seven community participants, there is at least a mobile phone handset in every household. The mobile phone forms part of their livelihood; it is the only source of voice communication and access to vital information for this community. According to one of the community participants (a petty-trader), access to a mobile phone has contributed remarkably in the growth of his business. One of the instances mentioned by this gentleman is that some of his customers who are living in the nearby villages use mobile phone to enquire about the availability of specific items and prices. The villagers then respond collectively by gathering money and paying for one person to come and buy the items, while the rest continue their daily activities. According to him, this has increased collective action among the villagers and improved efficiency in their farming activities.

Another example of mobile phone benefit was noted by a motorcyclist (Okada) in Pujehun. Okada is a form of transportation that has complemented the traditional means of transportation, due to poor roads and the shortage of cars and vehicles. According to this Okada rider, the mobile phone also supports his business. He uses a mobile phone as a source of contact through which customers can call and hire him. In addition, his mobile phone also enables him to keep in touch with his wife at home and arrange the daily affairs of the home while he is away. Similarly, a health field worker in this community said that his mobile phone serves as a common address book for daily contact and also for security purposes. As he put it: "I will always make sure that my mobile phone is on for security reasons, so that in the case of risk, I can easily call for rescue."

In sum, while this understanding of mobile phone use in these communities corroborates research findings on mobile phone research in other developing countries, e.g. the Donner study in Rwanda, the Aker study in Niger and the Abraham study in Kerala, India, it provides a good insight as to some of the many ways the mobile phone is transforming the lives of poor people in Sierra Leone.  

By Steven Sam (PhD Candidate), CfSC, School of Communication and Journalism, University of Queensland, Australia