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FillApp: Saving South Africans at the pump

11 May 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

south africa petrol station

FillApp is the latest in apps aimed at saving consumers money by notifying them of real-time price fluctuations. This South African smartphone application lets users know the best times and locations to fill up their gas tanks based on their car size, make, model and fuel type.

The South African rand lost more than 26% of its value in the last 6 months of 2015, crushing citizens’ ability to participate in the global market. This devaluation was intensely felt across all sectors, particularly those involving global goods such as gasoline. As the rand fell (and continues to fall), South Africans are paying the price at the pump. Despite the fact that oil prices are plummeting to new lows, South Africans were not feeling the same relief as, say, Americans. This is because their currency was falling faster than the price of petroleum.

Sense Saves Cents

Recognizing the need to alleviate this financial burden, the South African tech company TouchFoundry created FillApp, an app for Android and iPhone platforms that allows users to save money at the pumps. Users simply input basic metrics about their vehicle, such as make, model, tank size, gasoline type and whether the driver is more likely to fill up at coastal or inland cities.

Based upon these metrics, the app is able to calculate an individual driver’s savings if she should fill up on a certain date. The app then sends each user a notification at the beginning of each month letting them know if they should fill their tanks sooner rather than later based upon the predicted price changes.

FillApp

FillApp calculates these fluctuations based upon publicly available information from government and agency websites. Co-founder Lance Jenkins says that “every-day people aren’t able to access this data efficiently and conveniently when they need to. So, we did the time, crunched the code and came out with an elegant product that will hopefully add a touch of convenience to everyone’s lives.” Jenkins is referring more to the intellectual accessibility of information rather than the physical availability: the information FillApp uses to make its predictions is readily available to anyone with internet access, but it is taking the time to understand what the data means and how those numbers will be applied to the real world that takes time.

The Department of Energy recalculates fuel prices to include taxes and levies at the end of each month, and the South Africa Central Energy Fund uses this information to update fuel-price predictions on a daily or weekly basis. The Department of Energy puts these new, comprehensive prices into effect on the first Wednesday of each month. As soon as FillApp learns of the new price predictions, they are able to advise users on when and where to fill up their tanks based upon the information previously provided.

These sources allow the FillApp to provide up-to-date fuel price predictions based upon national agencies’ publications. “We scan reliable sources and we then basically get an algorithm that gives us a prediction of what the fuel (price) will probably be,” said Fabio Longano, TouchFoundry’s founder.

Taking Back the Purchasing Power

It is publicly sourced apps like this that are helping consumers take back the power in a world that seems impossibly confusing and unpredictable. By empowering consumers with knowledge about when and where to fill their tanks, FillApp is giving South Africans the information they need to potentially save a great deal of money.

As OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) has allowed oil prices to fall thanks to a flood in the market, South Africans (and most others) have experienced relief at the pumps. Unfortunately, gas prices seem to be particularly unreliable in South Africa: Reuters predicts that the price of gasoline will go up by 12 cents to 12.74 rand/liter, or about $3.20/gallon. The current price of gasoline in America is, for instance, between $1.99-$2.65, depending upon the state. This means there is substantially more of a burden upon South African gasoline consumers than upon American: not only is the price of gasoline about a full dollar more per gallon in South Africa than in America, but given the massive differences in average income, the high price of gasoline takes up a larger proportion of a South African’s income than it does an American’s. This is not unusual, however. The United States is known for having low taxes on gasoline and usually has much lower gas prices than developing countries.

Getting the Goods

While South Africans’ relief at the pump has not been as intensely felt as in other countries, FillApp is increasing consumers’ ability to make informed decisions about when and where to purchase gasoline. Apps like this are popping up all over the world, and give a fascinating look at the future of capitalism in a world with increasing income gaps.

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Wari is now Senegal’s first choice for money transfers

10 May 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

wari

The money transferring business Wari has become Senegal’s first choice as it continues to expand into other countries.

Wari might not be a familiar name to people outside of Senegal, but the money transferring system is almost synonymous with sending money in the country of its creation. In fact, Wari is so widely used that in Wolof (the country’s most widely spoken language), the phrase “Warima ko” means “send me money”.

Wari’s main rival in the world of money transferring was the international company Western Union, but Wari now holds 80% of the market in Senegal and the company is growing at a staggering 35% per month.

How it works and why it’s winning

The Wari system is fairly straightforward. A person pays money into one of the multitude of Wari outlets and an SMS is sent to the person they are sending the money to. The person who receives the message then takes their ID and the code they were sent to their nearest outlet and withdraws the cash. By partnering with 45 different banks and 17 African post offices, Wari has ensured that members of the public are never far from a place where they can make and receive a payment.

In addition to this coverage, Wari is commission free and very low cost, which is something that hugely encourages poorer people to feel comfortable using it. In a country like Senegal, being able to provide people with an easy and affordable way to send and receive money is a major selling point as 94% of the population does not have bank accounts. A cash-dominated culture, in which many people are quite poor, makes transfer networks almost essential.

Wari has ensured its status as the first choice by a combination of low costs, ease of use and availability. There are 45,000 points of sale across 26 nations and 2,000 of these are in Senegal, where the company processes around 65,000 transactions per day!

Kabirou Mbodje

Kabirou Mbodje

The parent company behind Wari is Cellular Systems International, established in 2008 by CEO Kabirou Mbodje. Mbodje’s local knowledge and understanding of his own nation’s culture and needs allowed CSI to launch Wari and rapidly gain traction in the market. But aware that the needs and attitudes in other African markets will differ, Mbodje has adopted a sensible strategy toward expansion.

Think global, act local

Mbodje has said that, “Wari was designed by Africans with a vision to go global” and yet going global always involves adapting. Mbodje was self-aware enough to recognize that without the same local knowledge that had helped conquer Senegal, Wari needed to work in conjunction with other companies to be successful in new markets.

As such, Wari has built partnership deals with numerous businesses and organizations in any new country in which they launch. Wari provides the technology to companies who understand local needs but do not have the means to deliver all these services.

From NGO’s to gas stations, Wari has carefully constructed a network of partners within nations like Tanzania, Morocco and Gabon.

The result of such localized deals is that Wari is processing an average of 40 million transactions monthly and the majority of these are outside of the initial Senegalese market.

The road ahead

Despite, what is ostensibly a huge success story, the CEO of CSI and the Wari brand is very measured in his appraisal of his company’s growth. When interviewed by New African Magazine, Mbodje said, “I think I will call my business a success when I am able to serve all of Africa as one entity, giving everybody, everywhere access to…pensions, life insurance… health care, these kinds of things.”

These are hugely ambitious plans but the first steps have already been made. Last year, Wari launched project Services Relay Points that offers citizens services ranging from remote medicine to bill payments. A percentage of revenues are donated to local groups providing healthcare and educational facilities. Launched in Senegal, it has now also been rolled out to Mali and Mbodje sees it as the start of his grand plan.

It is something that Mbodje believes in strongly and it aims to also change the way the continent is viewed from outside. He has previously stated, “Africa doesn’t need aid or loans, but organization.” It will be interesting to see just how far Wari can go in bringing about such change.

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Bassita helps fund social change through clickfunding

9 May 2016 Comments (3) Business, Featured, Middle East

Bassita

Bassita is an Egyptian startup company that created click funding, a new way for charities and campaigns to source funding.

If you have never heard of clickfunding before, then it’s probably because this highly innovative form of fund raising was only created 2 years ago. In 2014, an Egyptian startup company called Bassita was launched, and with it the concept of clickfunding was born. The name of the company comes from an Arabic word that means “simple,” and the idea of clickfunding is to make the creation of funds as simple as possible.

The clickfunding model works through the culture of social media, in which people constantly share and like articles, videos or images with other people. What Bassita does is create a short video highlighting a campaign or promoting a cause and a sponsor agrees to a certain number of shares or likes that must be met for it to then fund the campaign.

This means that people can directly help push a project toward being funded simply by clicking a “like” on Facebook or by sharing the video online. Co-founder, Alban de Ménonville states that, “It’s easy for the cybernaut – by clicking on an appealing project, she’s helping to fund change that is good for her community or society.”

This provides people with the opportunity to feel a connection to campaigns that they like and to feel that even a small action, such as sharing a video, can be a part of a genuine change.

bassita website

Clicking for change

The idea sounds so simple that it seems strange that nobody had thought of it before. But this is often the case with new ideas that become rapidly popular and important. A few years ago, the idea of crowd funding might have sounded like people asking for handouts, and yet businesses all across the world have successfully used the model. Social media has become increasingly political and major uprisings such as the Arab Spring were intrinsically linked to the use of outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. To harness the huge amount of activity that social media generates and to use viral videos in a fashion that generates real financing for important projects seems sure to succeed. After all, the overhead costs are small and the commitment of users is nothing more than clicking on “share” or “like.” The very first campaign that Bassita made a video for was a huge success. On September 1st, 2014, they created a video for a Baraka Optics campaign, which aimed to provide 1,000 underprivileged workers in Egypt with eyeglasses. Baraka Optics had agreed to fund this if Bassita got 10,000 views on Youtube, a target that was quickly met.

Since this opening campaign, Bassita has teamed up with UNICEF to help provide 1,000 new clean water connections to homes in Upper Egypt. In order to extend the way in which users can be involved, Bassita created a points-based system in which the target was 1.5 million points. People provided 1 point for viewing the video, 2 points for liking it, 3 points for sharing or re-tweeting it and 5 points for commenting on the video or tweeting about it.

There is a unique nature to these campaigns in how they give any person a chance to play a small role in helping to bring about positive changes. Ménonville said, “The clickfunding model can change the world. More than one million people are giving their clicks to help those who do not have access to water! Yes, our clicks count.”

Bassita’s UNICEF video was viewed 2 million times on Facebook within 3 days of being uploaded and the 1,000 water connections are already being built.

The men behind the clicks and the road ahead

The two men who created the Bassita idea are both French nationals who relocated to Cairo to launch their scheme. Alban de Ménonville and Salem Massalha felt that Africa provided a great opportunity for a young business and as Massalha is of Egyptian origin, the North African country became their new home. In an interview with Popout magazine, Ménonville said, “What we’ve managed to do in Egypt in one year is unthinkable in France, for example. Our team comes from diverse backgrounds, and that is our strength.”

As with many new ideas that become ubiquitous, the men behind the clickfunding idea believe that it will become a global concept that simply adapts its campaigns in relation to the different issues facing various places. Bassita has already won a Young Innovators Award and a 2015 Orange Prize for African Social Ventures.

Then in April of this year they won funding of 60,000 Egyptian Pounds from Injaz’s Startup Egypt prize. The future for clickfunding looks extremely promising and the team behind it all truly believes it can revolutionize advertising and ways in which we engineer social and environmental change. When asked about the Injaz award, co-founder Salem Massalha said, “This prize brings us one step closer to changing the world.”

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Bamboo – Africa’s Green Gold?

8 May 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

Bamboo poles

Bamboo farming could provide many African states with a green and lucrative industry.

If you asked the average person on the street to name a country that they associated with the bamboo plant, it’s unlikely you would hear many answers other than China. However, Africa has extensive bamboo reserves that the continent could reap huge rewards from.

What makes the prospect of harvesting the continent’s bamboo reserves particularly exciting is that the benefits offered are not solely economic. While the bamboo would indeed provide a veritable gold mine of revenue to many nations, it is also an opportunity to try and slow down the deforestation that threatens Africa’s myriad environments.

Sustainable, clean profits?

The issue of deforestation is obviously not confined to Africa, but many African countries are particularly at risk from the environmental impact that the practice brings. Cutting down large areas of forest contributes to a cycle of drought and pollution, especially as it leads to soil erosion which has been a primary factor in some of the disastrous famines that the continent has faced.

What makes bamboo so much better? According to Dr. Chin Ong, a retired professor of environment science, bamboo holds soils together, utilizes less water than trees and offers a greater overall package. Ong told the New York Times, “You want firewood; you want to reduce erosion, to maintain the water supply, generate cash and employment. Bamboo comes the closest — it gives you the most things.”

Bamboo is technically a grass, which means after a harvest it regrows and does so quickly. In fact bamboo can grow an astonishing meter per day, and it absorbs almost twice the amount of CO2 that is taken in by a tree.

A crop that is rapidly replenished, reduces pollution levels and does not damage the fertility of soils when harvested is clearly an environmentalist’s dream.

But do the numbers add up on the commercial side? The short answer is yes.

The International Network of Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) is an intergovernmental body that works with the UN and has valued the global bamboo trade at $60 billion.

Thus far, 18 bamboo growing African states have joined INBAR as they look to make the most of their natural resources without devastating the local eco-system to do so. According to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), bamboo has over 2,000 uses and China claims that if the plant is processed, this number rises to 10,000!

Despite such a glowing profile, the industry has yet to really take off in the majority of the 36 African nations where it grows. Adal Industrial PLC is a company trying to raise awareness and interest to help develop Africa’s bamboo farming. CEO Adane Berhe summed up the current problem facing the bamboo trade in Africa when he spoke to CNN saying, “The farmer who has bamboo is rich, but he doesn’t know it.”

Ethiopia takes the lead

Bamboo cooperative members in Ethiopia

Bamboo cooperative members in Ethiopia

One African nation that is investing in the industry is Ethiopia. Not only is Ethiopia rich in bamboo, with 2.47 million acres of it untapped, but due to widespread deforestation, the government has taken drastic steps to promote sustainable harvests and green industries.

The government has banned producing charcoal from hardwoods and has welcomed investment from China and other nations seeking to grow the bamboo trade.

INBAR now has an office in Addis Ababa and local people and small farmers have embraced the opportunity.

State Minister for Agricultural and Rural Development, Mitiku Kassa says, “Ethiopia has the resources, the investment, a rapidly-developing manufacturing industry and a strong demand for our bamboo products…The expansion of Africa’s bamboo sector has begun.”

As Ethiopia’s bamboo industry begins to grow, the hope is that other nations take note and follow their lead. The early signs are promising as the membership to INBAR continues to expand with new African members; there is patently interest in what the plant has to offer.

China has already offered investment in Ghana and a recent bamboo project there opened up 1,500 jobs.

The chief research scientist at the Forestry Research Institute in Ghana, Andrew Akwasi Oteng-Amoako told IPS news, “We anticipate a revival of investment interest in Ghana’s bamboo industry in the near future thanks to Ethiopia’s success.”

With recent government decrees from Rwanda and Nigeria on the importance of looking into utilizing bamboo resources, the future of Africa’s “green gold” looks promising.

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Youssef Omaïs: the unassuming head of a Senegalese giant

6 May 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Featured, Leaders

Youssef Omaïs

Youssef Omaïs continues to grow his Senegalese agribusiness – Patisen – after 35 years of success.

Youssef Omaïs is unlikely to be a name that is familiar to most people, as he is not a man who courts fame or accolades. However, as the CEO of Patisen, Omaïs heads up a group that provides many of the most popular food brands in Africa.

Omaïs is of Lebanese heritage but is Senegalese born and raised. This firm connection to the country, in which he launched his business, has been integral to earning the respect of his peers but also to ensuring that Patisen has continued to grow year on year.

Patisen was launched in Senegal, in 1981, and aimed to provide the people of the country and others in West Africa with a range of affordable food products. Patisen did not just set out to market recognizable brands, but to take on the international giant Nestlé, in one of its strongest markets. Patisen has even been accused of copying Nestlé with its color scheme and product names. Omaïs casually dismisses such complaints, insisting that the truth behind his success in Senegal and the wider African market is down to two key tenets.

Firstly, there is the fact that Patisen is entirely Senegalese owned and run. Every position within the company is filled by a local person, which must not only foster local support but also keeps overhead costs lower than rivals who employ European staff. Omaïs also states that it is simply a matter of knowing your customers saying, “We know we address consumers, while most foreign manufacturers are disconnected from the ground.”

The Growth of a Giant

This connection to the local markets enabled Omaïs to rapidly turn Patisen‘s range of spreads, chocolate drinks and bouillon cubes into hugely popular and recognizable names. The Chocolion brand of chocolate spread is one of the most popular in Senegal and export markets to the rest of West Africa and even into Europe have continued to increase.

In 2011, Omaïs said that the company’s export business accounted for “10% to 15% of our sales” but that he wanted to “increase this to 85%” as he aims to become West and Central Africa’s first choice.

In the same year, Youssef Omaïs was announced as the “Best Entrepreneur of the Year” for his previous year’s work, at Senegal’s prestigious, annual Sedar awards. This award sits alongside his title of “Knight of Agricultural Merit”, which was given to him by the department of agriculture in Senegal for his contribution to the nation’s economy and job production.

While individual recognition might drive some business figures, Omaïs is a quiet man who does not court the limelight. Rather, his focus is entirely on turning Patisen into an even greater presence within the African market. In 2011, Omaïs secured investment of $14.3 million from the International Finance Corporation, of which $3.2 million was equity.

Omaïs said that he believed the money would “transform us into a regional champion.”

The investment evidently worked, as by 2013, Patisen was employing over 3,000 local people and had a turnover of $143 million. The quietly spoken CEO continued to bolster his local reputation, by using some of his organization’s money to repair and re-open the abandoned Dakar Market, which had fallen into disrepair after numerous fires. Such moves resonate with local communities and make Patisen brands even more marketable.

Omaïs looks to the future

While the heart of Omaïs’s company lies in Senegal, his aspirations extend far beyond his home nation. Patisen is already exporting to 20 different countries, and it is gradually making its mark in Central Africa; but Omaïs wants to spread across the entire continent.

At 61 years of age, Omaïs believes that moving into new lines of food produce will allow his company to become the “undisputed leader in Africa”.

Patisen will open up a new production plant near Dakar in the second half of this year, as it moves into the manufacturing of mayonnaise. Within a year, Omaïs expects the plant to be producing 25,000 tons of the condiment for a turnover of over $42 million.

Omaïs summarizes the ethos of his company goals by saying, “We work every day to contribute to the well-being of millions of people who use our products.”

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Solar power hits the road in Uganda

5 May 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

Kayoola bus

A government-backed motor company introduces the continent’s first sun-powered bus.

With its abundant sunshine and growing need for efficient public transportation, Africa seems like a natural place for solar-powered vehicles. Now that idea will be tested with the introduction in Uganda of the continent’s first solar-powered bus.

The bus, called the Kayoola, is the brainchild of Paul Isaac Musasizi, chief executive officer of the government-owned Kiira Motors Corporation of Uganda.

Uganda has “non-stop sun,” Musasizi said. “No other countries manufacturing (solar) vehicles are on the equator like Uganda. We should celebrate that and make it a business.”

Powered by solar panels on the roof

He said the 35-seat bus could travel 50 miles. It is powered by two batteries. One battery is connected to solar panels on the roof; the other is charged electrically for longer trips and night journeys. It takes only one hour to charge each battery, according to Musasizi.

Kiira has produced a prototype of the Kayoola and ran a test drive in February in Kampala.

The prototype cost $140,000 to produce but the company said the price tag would be about a third of that amount – $45,000 – with mass manufacturing.

Ambitious solar vision

The bus is one part of Musasizi’s larger vision for a solar-powered automobile industry in Uganda, including service stations that have solar pumps to charge cars instead of selling them gasoline.

He wants Uganda to follow the lead of Morocco – which recently switched on the world’s largest solar power plant – in developing solar farms to power vehicles and other everyday devices.

He noted that efficient transportation is essential to the Ugandan economy.

“Without proper transportation, we cannot have a good economy.”

The Ugandan government funds Kiira through the Presidential Initiative on Science and Technology. The small company currently has 32 people on staff.

Company seeks investment to grow

Musasizi said he also hopes to attract private investors who are interested in green technology. He would like to grow the company to 200 employees in five years and produce 50 buses a year.

Uganda has been planning to develop an auto industry since 2007 after students and staff from Makerere University visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study innovation.

Kiira plans to start manufacturing automobiles in 2018.

The auto industry is part of Vision 2040, a blueprint for Uganda’s economic development launched late last year by Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda. Rugunda said the government would support Kiira until the company is able to put vehicles on the market.

Kiira plans to produce sedans, pickups and crossovers, starting with production of 305 automobiles in 2018 and growing to 60,000 per year in 2039.

Nigeria also boosts auto production

Nigeria is also seeking to grow its auto manufacturing, primarily to replace imported cars with locally produced vehicles. Nigeria plans to assemble 500,000 autos annually for the next five years compared to production of 10,000 vehicles in 2014.

International automakers including Nissan, Ford and Honda, as well as local manufacturers are gearing up to increase production. The government has granted licenses to 36 manufacturers.

First solar bus operates in Australia

Meanwhile, solar vehicles remain a rarity globally; Australia, China, Austria and the United States have developed solar vehicles while India is working to launch solar-powered transport.

Australia began operating the world’s first solar-powered bus in 2007.

The Tindo as the bus is named after an indigenous word for sun, operates in Adelaide. It uses 100 percent solar power that it receives from a photovoltaic system at Adelaide’s central bus station rather than from solar panels on the bus. The bus can carry up to 40 people, including 25 seated.

While Uganda is not the first country to develop solar vehicles, Musasizi hopes the country will become a leader in the field.

“Our passion for automobiles will help us develop solar motor technology,” he adds. “I’m hoping we will become known as the innovation hub for solar transportation technology in the world.”

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International Marrakech Air Show 2016: Bigger Than Ever

4 May 2016 Comments (1) Business, Featured, Middle East

Marrakech Air Show 2016

The Marrakech Air Show is an international aerospace exhibition and conference, attracting businesses from the industry and worldwide spectators.

On Saturday, the fifth biennial International Marrakech Air Show (IMAS) concluded in stunning style. With every year that passes, it seems that this marquee event becomes ever more important. This year saw in excess of 200 industry leading companies take part and covered more than 70,000 sq. meters of exhibition space. While dazzling aerial displays on the final day are what capture the public’s imagination, the real impact of the event is realized through the forging of new business ties amongst the elite of the aeronautics world. This global exhibition is internationally recognized as being one of the top events on the international aerospace and defense (A&D) calendar, attracting industry leaders and international spectators.

The opening ceremony was kicked off in a traditional fashion by the Moroccan marching band. Afterwards, the Royal Moroccan flag and the International Marrakech Airshow flag were flown in tandem over the airfield by military helicopters. This was followed by a breathtaking display from The Royal Moroccan Army’s Aerobatics team who piloted F16 fighters and concluded the ceremony. The gravitas of the occasion was underscored by the attendance of Moroccan Head of Government, Abdelilah Benkirane.

Attendees and Spectators

Exhibitors included Civil Aviation, Spaceflight, Military Aviation, Defense Technology (from land, air and sea) and Research and Defense authorities from around the globe. There were both static and air exhibitions which included industry leaders and national representatives.

Marrakech Air Show 2016 conferenceKey attractions among the static displays were Dassault Aviation’s Rafale and a long-range Falcon 900LX which required a six-man exhibition team to staff the aircraft and show off its capabilities. Also prominently displayed was a U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules, from the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. This Behemoth stood out as a symbol of partnership whilst promoting regional security throughout the African continent.

Aerobatic display teams from Italy, the UAE, Spain, The USA and the Royal Moroccan Air Force put on stunning shows for eager onlookers, competing over style and inflight capabilities to battle for pre-eminence in their field. The Italian aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, performed at the IMAS for the first time ever. They put on a particularly striking display in traditional Italian colors: red, green and white.

US and Moroccan bonds

With the US contingent of the show boasting 15 participating companies, and as one of the show’s largest exhibitors, it shows how important this region is to the US aerospace and defense industry. Among the companies representing the US were Boeing, FLIR, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney who were organized by Kallman Worldwide in collaboration with government agencies including the departments of Commerce, Defense and State. “The growth of the show and the expansion of military and commercial aerospace infrastructure in Morocco says a lot about the long-term opportunities for our exhibitors here,” said Kallman Worldwide CEO, Tom Kallman.

Not Just an Air Show

In reality, The International Marrakech Air Show is much more than just an air show. It’s an invaluable business and networking occasion for a variety of entities. This year saw exhibitors specializing in fields such as aircraft construction, satellite systems, avionics and onboard components, propulsions engineering, weapons systems, land defense armaments and many more. Senior government representatives from forty countries came to rub shoulders with specialist firms, legislators and aeronautics giants.

In the aeronautics sphere, Morocco has become the strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. Commercial air travel is becoming increasingly more viable and popular for African citizens; authorities and private enterprises are both maneuvering to meet this demand. Additionally, African governments are increasingly looking to invest in defense capabilities and associated infrastructure. Big business opportunities beckon and the Marrakech Air Show is designed to facilitate the process.

In recent years, the Moroccan aeronautics sector has seen rapid growth of between 15-20% per annum. Firms such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Bombardier and a host of others now maintain a permanent presence within Morocco’s borders. In total, more than 120 world class aeronautics organizations now operate in the country. The success of the airshow has helped demonstrate to businesses that Morocco is the premier platform from which to service new markets in the region.

Ultimately, The International Marrakech Airshow 2016 was as a resounding success. The event delivered on two fronts, firstly as a thrilling spectacle of modern aviation, and secondly as a vehicle by which business and aeronautics can flourish, bringing benefits not just to Morocco but to the entire continent.

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Coca-Cola looks to expand its investment in The Ivory Coast

3 May 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

Coca Cola Ivory Coast

Coca-Cola has invested more money into its already substantial holdings in The Ivory Coast.

The multinational giant that is Coca-Cola is no stranger to emerging markets and has never been afraid to take its eponymous leading brand to new shores. Africa is actually not a new market for Coca-Cola, as the company has promoted and sold its carbonated drinks on the continent for some time. However, with the Ivory Coast showing particularly robust economic growth, Coca-Cola has decided to increase its level of involvement with the West African nation.

Rather than simply viewing the country as a revenue stream of sales, Coca-Cola now intend to invest in the Ivory Coast as a source of production for both raw materials and fruit juice. It is a move that makes logistical and economic sense.

Improving company image

Through the sponsorship of football tournaments, heavy advertising and socially responsible welfare projects, Coca-Cola has already established itself as a familiar brand name across Africa, and the Ivory Coast is no exception. In fact, the capital city of Abidjan has been home to Coca-Cola’s headquarters for export in West Africa for several years. This office oversees export to 11 African nations and Coca-Cola brands are popular across West Africa. The recognition of the brand has been strengthened by co-operative efforts with major aid organizations that have helped Coca-Cola establish a reputation of responsibility.

At a time when sugary, carbonated drinks are being heavily criticized in the west, it has been hugely beneficial to attach the Coca-Cola name to programs such as the Fresh Water Program that was launched in conjunction with the USAID in 2005. This program sought to help provide greater access to clean, running water for communities from Western, Eastern and Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2007, Coca-Cola upped its investment in the program, making the joint enterprise worth $10 million.

Coca Cola Africa Foundation

Coca Cola Africa Foundation

As many of the products are youth driven, it has also made economic as well as humanitarian sense to target young people for particular support. Coca-Cola developed its own body, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, to help provide funding and support for projects like HOPE worldwide that support vulnerable children in impoverished African regions.

Even a cynic would have to admit that such funding is beneficial, regardless of whether the motive is altruistic or for public image. But the reality is that the people within The Ivory Coast and surrounding nations are still very poor and national, economic growth is needed to help them work their way out of this poverty.

Opening up new opportunities

It is therefore a significant step forward, when a company with the reach of Coca-Cola announces that it will be looking to include local resources as part of its production chain. This opens up potentially huge streams of income for local farmers and other agricultural workers.

The Ivory Coast is one of the main producers of pineapples in Africa and as recently as 2014, Coca-Cola launched its Minute Maid brand of juice drinks on the continent. The president of Coca-Cola Eurasia & Africa, Nathan Kalumbu, confirmed that the company would be investing in the fruit farming of The Ivory Coast and looking to produce significant amounts of its juice there.

The Ivory Coast’s President, Alassane Ouattara, has greeted the news positively and states that he hopes such investment will lead other corporations to treat the nation with “some confidence.”

In addition, to the commitment to pineapple juice and other fruit products, Ouattara hopes that Coca-Cola’s investment will provide income to other areas of Ivorian industry. It is a hope that looks to be realized, as Mr. Kalumbu confirmed that Coca-Cola would be looking to source other raw materials for its products inside The Ivory Coast.

After all, the country is the world’s largest producer of the Kola Nut, which was traditionally a major ingredient in the drink. Although, the nut is not commonly used in most Cola production today, there is no reason why it could not be used to produce much of Africa’s supply of the drink as it was only replaced in many markets due to more readily available alternatives.

The Ivory Coast stands to reap a large reward from Coca-Cola’s commitment, to expand, within Africa and according to Kalumbu; this commitment will total a staggering $17 billion between 2010 and 2020.

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Faso Soap: A weapon against malaria?

2 May 2016 Comments (1) Africa, Business, Featured

faso soap

A soap created by two students in Burkina Faso holds promise as an affordable way to fight the devastating disease.

As malaria threatens millions of people in Africa, a mosquito-repellent soap invented by two students in Burkina Faso may help prevent infection.

Faso Soap could be tested and produced if a crowd funding campaign launched in April is successful.

The “Save 100,000 Lives” campaign hopes to raise $113,000 to test and manufacture the soap. The goal is to save 100,000 lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda, through malaria prevention by 2018.

Gerard Niyondiko of Burundi and Moctar Dembele of Burkina Faso created Faso Soap when they were students at the International Institute for Water and Environmental Institute in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

Prize-winning invention

It was the first project from the African continent to win the $25,000 grand prize at  University of California Berkeley’s Global Social Ventures Competition in 2013, beating 650 entries from 40 countries.

Globally, more than three billion people live in areas at risk for malaria, mostly in poor tropical and sub-tropical regions.

Africa is hardest hit by the debilitating disease. An estimated 430,000 people die from malaria each year and 90 percent of the deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, mostly among children under five years old, according to one U.S. official.

Sheila Paskman, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Liberia, said a child dies from malaria every two minutes in Africa, where the disease is also responsible more than half of all school absences. “The disease costs the continent billions each year in health costs and lost productivity,” she said.

Africa most vulnerable

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Africa is most vulnerable for a variety of reasons: A predominant species, Plasmodium falciparum, is most likely to cause death; the climate allows transmission to occur year round; and scarcity of resources hinders malaria control.

Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are hardest hit by the disease.

In other areas of the world, such as parts of South Asia and Latin America, malaria is less likely to cause death but can still result in severe illness and incapacitation, according to the CDC.

Eradication and control efforts include insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor insecticide spraying campaigns, and community education campaigns.

Officials cite progress

While the disease remains a serious problem, eradication efforts are paying off.

Since 2000, malaria death rates have fallen by 60 percent, and new cases have dropped by more than one third globally, according to the World Health Organization. In Africa, death rates dropped by more than 65 percent overall and among children less than 5 years old.

Faso Soap could be another weapon in the arsenal fighting malaria.

Niyondiko said the soap is made from Shea butter, lemongrass oil and other ingredients.

Soap is accessible, affordable

He said Faso Soap can repel mosquitoes for several hours after use and could especially offer protection in the early evening when people are still outdoors and mosquitoes appear.

The team hopes to engage in partnerships with large soap producers and distributors to create a product that is competitive with conventional soap.

The French Association for Research Against Infectious Diseases in Africa is collecting the donations. So far, the project has raised more than $42,000 from 464 contributors.

Now working with social entrepreneurs Lisa Barutel and Franck Langevin in Burkina Faso, Niyondiko said the aim is to provide an accessible and affordable product for people who may not be able to afford anti-mosquito products or nets.

“Soap is a commodity product and not going to add other additional costs to the population” as they will buy soap in any case, Niyondiko said.

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Afroplan: 21st Century Coupons

1 May 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

afroplan

Afroplan is a new online and mobile platform that connects users in Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo with grocery store chains to learn about discounts and promotions in real-time.

Big-box grocery stores are still a relatively new phenomenon in developing countries. Until just a few years ago, the vast majority of citizens living in even the metropolitan areas of such countries did their grocery shopping in locally-run markets filled with locally or regionally sourced foods. With the increase in chain grocery stores around the world, shoppers are adapting to the “one-stop-shop” mentality, including the concept of discounts and promotions.

Coupon Cutting in the Digital Age

Afroplan is a new mobile and online platform created by Cletus Razakou, a young Ivorian-Togolese digital expert and app developer. Afroplan bridges the gap between retailers and consumers by allowing users to input their personal data, such as location and material interests, and alerting them when a near-by retailer has a discount on a relevant item. While currently present only in three West African nations, a region home to 37 or 13% of Africa’s commercial centers, Afroplan is available on all smartphone platforms.

Users are able to input all varieties of material interests, from specific food items to the latest tablet, and are able to make informed choices about the right time to buy. Razakou was frustrated by the lack of communication between retailers and consumers regarding promotions, and realized that if a platform were created where retailers and consumers could alert one another about promotions, more Africans would benefit from these bargains.

This not only benefits consumers, but benefits retailers: many stores experience financial losses due to the expiry of food-products or to the fast turnover of tastes and preferences in material goods. Stores are now able to inform a broader range of consumers about potential savings while ridding themselves of soon-to-be-obsolete stock.

Benefits for All

The platform works through a two-pronged approach: the first is that supermarkets and other retailers are charged a flat fee to post individual promotions. The second is that sellers can purchase specialized advertising space to reach a broader range of consumers, including those who have not specifically listed a product as one of their interests. This is not only beneficial for the app as a money-making scheme, but is beneficial to retailers: the more specialized advertising they purchase, the more people see their products, and the more people will be interested in purchasing a discounted item, even if they had not listed it as a preferred item. In this way, retailers are able to expand their consumer base by creating a culture of desire while preventing losses incurred from expired and unsold products.

Of course, users benefit as well: they are now able to make informed choices about how to best-spend their hard-earned money. Consumers are able to choose from eight categories of goods: fashion, home decor, electronics, beauty, telephones, infant/baby, food, and overstock items.

Initial Challenges

Creating an app for an emerging industry is not without its challenges. Razakou said that the main challenges during this process were financial. It was challenging, Razakou said, to publicize the platform to potential clients (stores) and users in an efficient manner in all three countries, because they had not yet received investments from clients. Fortunately, Afroplan’s initial success indicates that financial barriers may no longer be prohibitive for expansion.

The Future of Bargaining?

Afroplan is an interesting, innovative approach to discount consumption. Connecting users in real-time to see the latest discounts is a new way to encourage consumption in West Africa, and, for those living in areas with supermarkets that opt to work with Afroplan, could lead to substantial savings on big ticket items. Unlike shopping at a local African market, buyers are not generally able to bargain in a supermarket, which takes the power away from the consumer. Afroplan gives shoppers some modicum of power when supermarkets are growing in popularity and number. No longer do citizens of Senegal, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire have to choose between the convenience of a one-stop-shop and the potentially low prices of shopping at good-specific markets.

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