Ken Banks

Current

• Visiting Researcher at Stanford University
• Visiting Fellow at Reuters Digital Vision Program at Stanford University, California
• Founder at kiwanja.net (Self-employed)

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Recommended

2 people have recommended Ken

Connections

134 connections

Industry

Information Technology and Services

Websites

• My Website

Ken Banks’s Summary

Ken is a Reuters Digital Vision Fellow specialising in the application of mobile technology for positive social and environmental change in the developing world. He combines many years experience living and working across Africa with 22 years in IT, and a degree in Social Anthropology. His vision is to empower others to create social change, and he does this by providing tools to mostly grassroots organisations who seek to better use technology in their work. He recently hit headline news on the BBC when his text messaging application – FrontlineSMS (which is provided free to NGOs) – was used to help monitor the Nigerian Presidential elections. Ken has recently been interviewed by Pambazuka News, the BBC World Service, Nokia, Mongabay.com, White African and the Sussex University Alumni magazine. He has recently been awarded a MacArthur Foundation grant to continue his work, and was shortlisted for a mobile industry prize. Full details on Ken, and his work, are available on www.kiwanja.net

Ken Banks’s Experience

• Visiting Researcher

  Stanford University

  (Information Technology and Services industry)

  2007 — Present (1 year)

• Visiting Fellow

  Reuters Digital Vision Program at Stanford University, California

  (Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Higher Education industry)

  September 2006 — Present (1 year 11 months)

  The Digital Vision (DV) Program at Stanford University provides social entrepreneurs with a creative environment and platform to design and implement innovative and scalable technology-based solutions for untapped markets around the world. DV entrepreneurs spend nine months in residence at Stanford to developing information technology (IT) based solutions in the areas of health, education, and financial services for emerging markets.
  
  DV projects focus on the rapidly evolving mix of software applications that leverage advanced wireless and land-based data networks. These networks – paired to a new generation of mobile phones and low cost computer-based devices - have connected more than one billion people who previously lacked access to the innovations and cost-saving solutions made possible by digital communications, information services, and e-commerce.

• Founder

  kiwanja.net (Self-employed)

  (Self-Employed; Myself Only; Information Technology and Services industry)

  January 2003 — Present (5 years 7 months)

  Since 2003, my organisation - kiwanja.net - has been helping local, national and international non-profit organisations make better use of information and communications technology in their work. Specialising in the application of mobile technology, it provides a wide range of ICT-related services drawing on over 22 years experience of its founder, Ken Banks
  
  With a key focus on developing countries, and a particular emphasis on low-cost, grassroots, sustainable solutions, kiwanja.net is unique in that it combines a strong business and technology background with a degree in anthropology and over 14 years conservation and development experience in countries including Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and more recently, India

Additional Information

Ken Banks’s Websites:

• My Website

Ken Banks’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
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• business deals
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