Earlier this year we included an article in our daily “What We’re Reading” feature about an effort by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others to boost programs in Africa that allow consumers to access financial services through their cell phones.

Now, in an interesting new development, the communications company Safaricom is working to implement a solar-powered, pay-for-use water vending system that could be accessed and controlled through the use of cell phones.

How would it work? The New York Times describes it like this:

The solar-powered well is activated using a smart card, which permits water to flow until either the card is removed or the user’s account runs out of credit. Villagers can use the M-PESA system to add more credit to the smart card via their mobile phones.

According to the Times, “the system is being tested across Kenya, and by the end of the year at least 20 communities will be combining mobile banking and solar powered wells.”

For more background and details on the initiative, you can read the full article here.

-Chris Scott