Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jordan Kassalow, Graham Macmillan and Miriam Stone – three staff members at VisionSpring – to conduct a long-form interview. Formerly known as Scojo Foundation, VisionSpring is the pioneering base of the pyramid-focused enterprise working to provide access to eyeglasses in low-income communities around the world. NextBillion.net readers will be familiar with VisionSpring's basic story; after all, our team published a What Works case study on the company back in 2007. We've followed their progress for a long time, up to and including their recent name change and announcement of a 5-year fundraising prospectus. (Full disclosure: I work at Acumen Fund, which is an investor in VisionSpring.) Rob Katz, NextBillion.net: How,...
Reuters profiles Nigeria's largest insurance group,Industrial and General Insurance (IGI):
The company plans a $2 billion expansion drive in Africa, the company's chief executive officer told Reuters.Three years ago, the insurance firm began expanding out of Nigeria, initially investing in Ghana, Gambia and Uganda.
"Originally we set aside $200 million of our own funds but we see this attracting...
Pendock Uncorked reports on the growing importance of African consumers to SA's wine industry, a testament to the continents growing middle class:
Sheila runs a chain of Spaza shops in Malawi and once a month flies down to Johannesburg for a three day shop. From her base at the Holiday Inn opposite China City at Bruma Lake, she buys “groceries and what-what” from Trade Centre in...
Duncan Mboyah at the Africa Science News reports:
According to a recent study conducted in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, there is high demand for cowpeas (kunde), African nightshade (managu), spiderplant (saga/dek) and amaranths (mchicha) in major supermarkets. Jute mallow (mrenda/apoth), slenderleaf (mtoo), African Kale (kandhira) and pumpkin leaf (malenge) follow closely in that order as common...
mPedigree co-founded by Bright Simons emerges as tool to fight the deadly scourge of drug counterfeiting and other product reliabilty challenges: ...It refers both to a world-first technology platform that interconnects GSM mobile networks in the West African republic of Ghana to a central registry wherein pedigree information of product brands belonging to participant manufacturers are stored,...
Image via WikipediaSuneor a peanut oil producer handles about 90% of peanut seeds placed on the Senegalese market, equivalent to between 130,000 and 250,000 tons annually.The company is organized around 5 industrial sites with a total crushing capacity of 900,000 tons of peanuts per year. The company exports 50,000 tonnes of crude peanut oil to refineries in Europe, Asia and North...
From the Joe's Oyster website:
JOC specialises in the farming of Crassostrea Gigas oysters,also known as the Namibian Pacific oyster. Crassostrea Gigas is a filter feeder which reaches havest size within 9 months of farming rather than the 24 months it takes similar species. This oyster is popular around the world and JOC offers these delicacies in a variety of market...
African Investments getting hotter? See Msn video here via LadyBrille.
Market gardening takes root in Burkina Faso.
Georgetown Capital offers investment opportunities.
Adding value to the cashew trade-African Cashew...
Founded by Moriba Ouendeno, Moriba a specialty food company "has progressively diversified its product offerings to include new flavours like litchi, manguo, baobab but also carbonated drinks, ginger liqueur and African herbal teas “Saveurs d’Afrique ®/African Flavours” based with lemongrass, kinkeliba, hibiscus, ginger, and a mix of ginger, ginseng, guarana"-Moriba Website
Watch Mr Ouendeno...
Anansi Chronicles profiles the launch of AfriMonitor:
Throughout my years as an entrepreneur, I have had to conduct endless market research and have found a serious lack of information about the African market. Drawing on my experience as a marketer myself, I am developing a new website called AfriMonitor to aggregate important research and information about the growing African market. While I...
Zena Exotic Fruits manufactures annually, 700 tons of jams, jellies, and marmalades these include:
Fruit SpreadsFruit SyrupsPepper SaucesHand Crafted NougatSesame...
A key issue that the BoP development world currently faces is generating a tangible connection between markets, enterprise and the poor. After all, if we are going to alleviate poverty through enterprise, we require effective strategies that enable the BoP to participate in profitable business endeavors as well as markets that serve the BoP's needs sufficiently. In light of this difficult obstacle, WBI has taken steps to provide insight into how BoP development can be engaged successfully though its release of the special report "Business and Poverty: Opening Markets to the Poor." The report's 18 chapters-each about eight pages long-analyzes various effective strategies, obstacles and prospects for NGOs, non-profit organizations, corporations, banks, MFIs, and local...
"...Burkinakarité is a union of women associations dedicated to shea butter production and commercialization.The union is made up of 4 villages association. Our local head office is in Bobo Dioulasso in Burkina Faso .Burkinakarité sells raw shea butter produced traditionally by the women of the...
Here’s some worthwhile, illuminating and interesting pieces to check out:
Seth Godin talks about marketing nonprofit causes. He’s worthwhile reading on anything, essential on nonprofits.
The Agitator on the latest research on improving the effectiveness of donation landing pages.
The ever-excellent Ben Goldacre, meanwhile, has unearthed a document by the (UK) charity commissioners which tries to argue that blogs - yes, all of them - have no educational value! Ben, as usual, demolishes this with aplomb.
Piaras and Richard Delevan both have good pieces on the appalling failures of the Yes to Lisbon campaign. Plenty of lessons for nonprofits: tell stories (about real people) and do it with passion and conviction.
‘No stamp required, but using one will save us money’ -...
Image via Wikipedia EarthOil a grower-based production and marketing firm, processes essential oils in Kenya and Zimbabwe.Their website outlines the company's Papain operation:
The papaya fruit (pawpaw) – is not indigenous to Africa, but it has become “naturalised” in that country, and, and is very widely grown by small farmers in many parts of Africa. The project to develop papaya seed oil...
Innscor a food processor manufactures a range of:
-biscuits
-puffs
-pies
Their "goal is to become one of the biggest and most profitable snack food manufacturers in...
Grandiose Parlor profiles the life of the late Yinka Folawiyo founder of the Yinka Folawiyo Group, one of Nigeria's largest conglomerates:
n 1957, Folawiyo founded YINKA FOLAWIYO & SONS, an enterprise that engages in import and export business between Nigeria and Europe. The Yinka Folawiyo Group, of which Yinka Folawiyo & Sons Limited is the parent body, includes the Maritime Associates...
The founder of Kerawa discusses the company with Africaincorp:
The company is taking on the larger Newspaper companies,the community portals and the offline social/tribal networks, that have traditionally controlled the classified ad market.Information on Job,Romance,trade,service opportunities have been often limited to your access to the newspaper[financial/geographical],or a specific...
Afrigarnics produces a wide range of fruit and vegetables which include,"...fine French beans, extra fine French beans, sugar snaps, mange tout, Avocado, Aubergine, bullet chillies, long chillies, long chillies, Doodhi, Mango, Passion fruit, Patra leaf, Ravaya, Turia, Okra and karella, Butternut, red peppers, green peppers, chilli, Zebra Melon and...
The Zambezi Honey story - "...Hidden in a lush forest at the source of the mighty Zambezi River lives a special honeybee that feeds only on flowering trees. Gathered using sustainable methods, our traditional beekeepers help to preserve the forest as well as the bees...the honey is wild-crafted by 5,000 registered organic farmers in the remote Miombo forests of Zambia. Spanning more than 11,000...
Stock Market Nigeria reports on two impending IPO's from non-financial sector companies, Florence Seriki's Omatek Ventures and Tantalizers both covered previously:
The management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange at a recent Quotation Committee Council Meeting (QCCM), held at the exchange, gave a nod to Omatek Ventures and Tantalizers Plc’s bid to list on the Exchange. Omatek Ventures Plc would be...
Business Daily reports on the appearance of video halls that cater largely to the Nollywood Film audience and asks the question, can they be monetized and formalized?
“Every African country has the equivalent of a pirate cinema audience that runs into the thousands....The challenge for film-makers, distributors and exhibitors is how to turn this grey market into one that functions at a price...
Clumsy, clumsy, clumsy. It seems Ammado has managed to create completely the wrong sort of buzz among Irish bloggers by spamming them with bulk unsolicited emails. It doesn’t matter how important or deserving you cause or issue is - sending bulk, unpersonalised, unsolicited email to anyone (especially vocal and widely read bloggers) is stupid and will be viewed as spam.
Technorati Tags: ammado, spam, blogging, marketing, email...
George K. Amoah is the founder of Farmer George a poultry meat production, processing and distribution company.The company recently established one of "...the largest poultry houses on the Continent...":
Currently with the minimum housing capacity of 540,000 birds per annum for both houses, the ‘state-of-the-art’ poultry facility is the first of its kind in the country. Full functionality are...
NoAH69 a communications solutions and marketing company offers services which include:
-Interactive presentations
-Kiosks and In-store displays
-E-Learning Programmes
-Widgets and Desktop Marketing Apps
-Desktop...
Mobile Africa reports:
Mi-Pay’s portfolio of mobile payments services is available to African operators to help them further monetise their existing prepaid networks. Mi-Pay also provides a service that enables third parties to buy pre-paid airtime and send that airtime to subscribers in Africa enabling them to make calls, and extend the value of their mobile phones. This service provides added...
Farm Management Services offers investors joint ownership in integrated fruit/crop farms.The company is primarily responsible for managing and harvesting one crop of mangoes per growing season.They also inter crop Maize, Pepper , Tomatoes, Okra, Watermelon....
Base of the Pyramid (BoP) strategy has a few key tenets, one of which is the power of aggregated demand. Those living at the base of the economic pyramid may have little buying power on their own, but when they are pooled together, their consolidated demand amounts to a viable market. Companies are increasingly aware of and planning around this aggregated demand approach, as we have seen through such examples as the William J. Clinton Foundation's ability to bring down the prices of AIDS drugs through a guaranteed high volume of sales. That said, there is a need for not only existing products and services, but even more so for innovation at the BoP – so what about aggregating demand in those cases? How do you assess the ability and willingness of the poor to pay for products and...
Farmers Choice is a vertically integrated meat and poultry firm. Founded primarily as a fresh and processed pork producer the company is now a leader in the Kenyan livestock industry.Serving both domestic and international markets its product range includes:
-Beef
-Poultry
-Processed...
WAASPS is the first Ultralight air-work, training and aircraft assembly operation in Ghana.Services offered include:
-Crop Spraying
-Advertising
-Tourism
The company states that they are "...bringing affordable aviation solutions to the heart of the people and places where it can make a...