The initiative provided images, animal sounds, conservation-themed games, and live news to Vodafone subscribers.

[4] In 2003, Banks founded kiwanja.net, an NGO dedicated to the use of mobile technology for social and environmental change, with a particularly focus on Africa.

This inspired him to develop FrontlineSMS, a platform that sends and receives text messages (SMS) via mobile phones without requiring internet access, in 2005.

[12] In 2012, Banks stepped down from the day-to-day running of FrontlineSMS, handing leadership to Laura Walker Hudson and Sean McDonald, respectively.

[13] He transitioned to the role of Chair of the Board, and in 2015, he took on new positions, including Entrepreneur in Residence at CARE International and Visiting Fellow at RMIT University in Melbourne.