I think you lack an understanding how cashless transactions work in Somalia. First off, no one is using a credit card in Somalia. They don't work, no one has them. Two, the article made it very clear, carrying cash is a big problem in Somalia due to crime. How contactless payments work on phones in Somalia and M-Pesa is that you have to have a code to access the funds on the phone. If someone robbed you and they get your phone, they still don't have access to your funds. You can simply go to the phone store (Or whatever they have in Somalia) and get a new SIM for your account and then have access to your funds.
I imagine that carrying cash in Somalia is extremely dangerous and well worth the "Big Brother" factor.
I don't fear being robbed in Denmark, whether carrying cash or not. After all, I carry a €500 smartphone everywhere.
The smartphone apps are protected by a PIN, and contactless cards are limited to low values which the bank will refund.
One can only robe you the cash you have with you, and no one has all his money with him, right? But if the same guy also robes you the credit card or debit card or smartphone with contact-less payment setup, they can take all your money, or multiple times more money (and the rest over a few days if you don't act very quickly and try to contact your electronic payment provider, if possible (see bitcoin/altcoin)).
The next question, how often do you get robbed in US or Europe? Beside certain hot spots in a few areas, I never heard that this is a real big problem.