Companies are trying to attract more smartphone users across Africa. But there are risks

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) - Anita Akpeere prepared fried rice in her kitchen in Ghana's capital as a stream of notifications for restaurant orders lit up apps on her phone. "I don't think I could work in my industry without a phone," she said as requests came in for her signature dish, a traditional fermented dumpling.

Internet-enabled phones have transformed many lives, but they could play a unique role in sub-Saharan Africa, where infrastructure and public services are among the least developed in the world, says Jenny Aker, a professor who has tackled the issue. studies at Tufts University. At times, ...