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Mobile Devices Address Tech. Equity in Africa

A primary school student in Kenya uses an e-reader supplied by the Worldreader organization.

—Worldreader

In Ghana, elementary-school-age children who have rarely seen more than a handful of books are now using e-readers to access whole libraries. In South Africa, students are text-chatting with math tutors by cellphone for help with their homework. And in Liberia, educators will soon use electronic tablets to collect vital and accurate information about schools, students, and resources throughout the country.

On the continent of Africa, the use of mobile technology and online content in various forms is gaining steam as a way to bypass some countries' most significant education hurdles, including rural settings, limited electricity, and a lack of educational resources. Experts say mobile technology—whether cellphones, laptops, MP3 players, tablet computers, or e-readers—is likely to aid many African countries in making a leap in education that was impracticable not long ago.

"The introduction of mobile technology throughout Africa has helped countries to skip several steps in the development process, which could have been much more prolonged," said Sandy Oleksy-Ojikutu, an education adviser for the U.S. Agency for International Development , or USAID, which is funding many education projects using...