UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL Enhancing Access to Socioeconomic Development Information using Mobile Phone Applications in rural Zimbabwe: The case of Matabeleland South Province. By Vusumuzi Maphosa 215080927 A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Information Systems & Technology School of Management, IT and Governance College of Law and Management Studies Supervisor: Prof Manoj Maharaj 2018 i Declaration I Vusumuzi Maphosa declare that (i) The research reported in this dissertation/thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research. (ii) This dissertation/thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. (iii) This dissertation/thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. (iv) This dissertation/thesis does not contain other persons’ writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: a) their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced; b) where their exact words have been used, their writing has been placed inside quotation marks, and referenced. (v) Where I have reproduced a publication of which I am an author, co-author or editor, I have indicated in detail which part of the publication was actually written by myself alone and have fully referenced such publications. (vi) This dissertation/thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the Internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the source being detailed in the dissertation/thesis and in the References sections. Signature: Date: February 2018 ii Acknowledgements The completion of my thesis was made possible through the support that I received from my supervisor, Professor Manoj Maharaj. I would like to thank him by expressing my appreciation for his ideas, time, patience and enthusiastic guidance that was offered throughout the process. To my friends – Mr Ishmael Muzika, Mr Mhlupheki Dube and Ms Prestage Murima – who were involved in regular discussions regarding this work, I thank them for their insightful comments and suggestions. My appreciation also extends to family members, including my wife and children – whom I denied family time – and my mother and siblings. I would further like to thank those many others who provided moral and financial support for me to progress and finish my studies. This accomplishment is dedicated to my late father, who could not witness another milestone in my life. Very special thanks go to the University of KwaZulu-Natal for providing the opportunity for me to attend summer school in France. This study was exciting, intriguing and often challenging. Its completion was made possible by many people, including the Bulilima district leadership and its community members, who were involved in the research. Finally, I would like to express a special appreciation to God for the strength I received and for helping me to come in contact with the people who assisted me through this journey. iii Abstract Mobile phone access has grown exponentially, transforming access to information and communication in Africa. Mobile phone penetration has increased dramatically across the urban-rural, rich-poor and literate-illiterate divides, which other technologies failed to bridge. The number of mobile phone subscriptions grew astronomically, from less than two million in 1998 to more than 620 million subscribers in Africa (Carmody, 2012). Internet users grew 85- fold from 4.5m users in 2000 to over 388m users in Africa at a rate higher than any other region (Internetworldstas, 2018). Global mobile app downloads have reached 175 billion in 2017, generating more than $85 billion, yet most African countries possess an insignificant share of this, due to low literacy levels, low economic opportunities and an infrastructure that is still developing (The Guardian, 2014; Perez, 2018). The growing presence of mobile phones must be harnessed to enhance access to socioeconomic information, in order to improve standards of life in the global south. Scholars and communication enthusiasts have argued that simply providing access to the internet, without considering the relevance of content, will not change the fortunes of rural communities (Internet.org, 2014; GSMA, 2015). There is the need to provide localised and relevant content – such as local news, market prices and bus timetables – to these communities. This research resonates with Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which seeks to increase access to information and communication technology, and provide universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020 (UN, 2016). In Zimbabwe, radio and television are basic technologies used for disseminating socioeconomic information, yet most of the rural communities have no access to radio and television signals, 37 years after independence. Rural mobile phone ownership is about 80%, and broadband penetration is 46.5% (ITU, 2013). In addition, Zimbabwe’s average rural literacy is about 90%. These two factors – high rural literacy levels and high rural mobile phone ownership – motivated the researcher to develop a mobile phone application prototype that could be utilised by rural communities to enhance their access to socioeconomic development information that could, in turn, anchor sustainable development. The mobile phone application prototype has the potential to provide a new platform for accessing socioeconomic development information in the rural areas of Zimbabwe, including information on agriculture, health, community activities, education and the markets, plus local and national news. These can all promote sustainable development. The study followed a seven-cycle design science research methodology, from problem identification to communicating the utility of the aertefact which guided the development of the mobile phone application (Hevner, 2007). The development of the prototype followed a user-centred design, as well user experience, where high-fidelity prototypes were presented to participants selected through a random sample to be part of the development process. This process is iterative, incorporating user feedback and redesign of the prototype until the users and developers agree on the design. After designing the prototype, participants were randomly selected to evaluate the mobile phone application prototype using an adapted TAM2, whose main constructs relate to perceived usefulness and ease of use (Davis, 1989). iv Table of Contents Declaration ............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. iii Abstract ................................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures ...................................................................................................................... xv List of abbreviations ........................................................................................................... xvii 1. Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................. - 1 - 1.1 Introduction and background ................................................................................. - 1 - 1.2 Research problem ................................................................................................... - 6 - 1.3 Problem statement .................................................................................................. - 9 - 1.4 Purpose of the Study .............................................................................................. - 9 - 1.5 Research objectives .............................................................................................. - 10 - 1.6 General research question .................................................................................... - 10 - 1.6.1 Specific research questions ........................................................................... - 10 - 1.7 Justifying the proposed solution ........................................................................... - 11 - 1.8 Research methodology ......................................................................................... - 12 - 1.8.1 Research Contributions ................................................................................. - 13 - 1.8.2 Socioeconomic development ........................................................................ - 14 - 1.9 Study population .................................................................................................. - 15 - 1.10 Study Sample........................................................................................................ - 15 - 1.10.1 Other sample properties ................................................................................ - 16 - 1.10.2 Sampling techniques ....................................................................................