A “Futures Literacy” Framework for Understanding the Future of Mobile Health Development in Africa

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa is known to feature some of the weakest healthcare systems in the world. The expanding field of mobile technology in healthcare over the past years, commonly known as mHealth, has been considered to have potential leverage for supporting and improving healthcare systems, especially in disadvantaged areas, if people are literate enough to autonomously use them. However, implementing new technologies in African healthcare systems has not always considered local realities. Many African countries are facing challenges to capitalize on these opportunities. For instance, the lack of planning, foresight, and anticipation may affect the resources available for the implementation of mHealth. This chapter argues that exploring future scenarios can be a key point to successfully designing and implementing Health Literacy Mobile technologies for a sustainable healthcare system in Africa. The UNESCO Futures Literacy (FL) approach can contribute as a valuable foresight tool to anticipate “the future” of mobile health in Africa. Being “future literate” empowers the imagination and enhances the ability of African peoples and countries to prepare and co-invent inclusive health technologies that contribute to achieving both the agenda 2063 of the African Union and the UNESCOs 2022-2029 strategy. Overall, FL could become a catalyst to make new technologies tools of “liberation technology” and “justice technology” for Africa.