Africa must find a way to “harness' mobile technology, as technology and services are increasing on the continent, said Ham Mulira, Ugandan minister of Information and Communications Technology, IDG News Service reported Tuesday.

To grow mobile, “sustainable social and economic development” must take place, he said.

Currently, a problem with mobile is that devices have English-language content with software that is “not suited for people in this part of the world” who don't speak or read English, IDG reported in an article, posted by CIO.com.

Both local content and language support are necessary to reach the rural populace, Mulira told IDG.

Although mobile voice and text messaging services have existed for years, “more relevant mobile data” and online services are needed for accessing information, communicating and for use in health, education and financial sectors, IDG reported.