ICTs, Mobile Telephony and Politics in Africa : The End of the "Communication for Development" Paradigm?

The mobile telephone has become an established research subject in many regions of the world. Government officials and business leaders work equally to devise the best way to take advantage of what mobile telephony has to offer in Africa. The growing interest in mobile telephony in this part of the world inspires us to reflect upon the manner in which theory can contribute to better understanding the growth, use and impact of mobile telephony in Africa according to its relationship with politics. In this sense, our goal here is two-fold: identify the social and theoretical context in which issues related to mobile telephony and politics in Africa insert themselves; and to analyze the traditional theories regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Africa in relation to politics. New theoretical approaches for thinking about mobile telephony in Africa are also proposed in order to understand the new paradigms that are at stake in the continent's development.