Kenya Youth Parliament, the organizers of the 2010 National Youth Conversation; Conference on Peace, Reforms & Youth Economic Empowerment in Nairobi, Kenya from Oct 12th to 16th, 2010 invites you to participate in the oncoming largest gathering that brings together social activists, peace builders and youth leaders in the pursuit and defining of a Better Kenya.
This conference brings together only four (4)participants from every constituency as a ‘Call to Action’ to assist young people ‘learn’ and ‘understand’ their roles in Building a Peaceful Kenya and provide them with tools, information and ideas of participating and influencing the Reforms Agenda at the grassroots levels.
This will be achieved through the design of Individual Action Plans (IAP’s) to be implemented at grassroots level and coordinated Constituency Actions Plans (CCAP’s)to be coordinated by Kenya Youth Parliament and its partners.
This conference is a follow-up of activities being ran under the aegis of the Youth Platform for Change “YP4C” namely the National Youth Conversation Café’s in the grassroots areas, the Koffi Annan Justice and Peace National Tournament Coordinated by Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) and Sports Connect Academy (SCA) , and a play which has been specifically scripted to capture the issues in the proposed constitution as well as the events during and after the post-election, radio drama and stage play to be staged at different venues of the country by Artists Forum International (AFI).
Yesterday a workshop was held by the ICT Board at the University of Nairobi’s Chiromo campus to discuss their Digital Content and Software Applications Grants. The grants have two categories that Kenyan participants can enter:
Government information portal: to develop solutions and products that exploit mobile and web technology in the delivery of government information or services, and
Private sector content and applications: to develop innovative solutions and products that exploit mobile and web technology in the delivery of information, entertainment or services
The venue was packed to capacity with entrepreneurs seeking to find out how their projects could benefit from this Kshs. 300 Million grant facility that is aimed at promoting the development of local digital content and software applications.
After discussing modalities regarding applications and eligibility amongst other grant criteria, one of the contentious issues that emerged was the intellectual property protection for the grant applicant’s projects.
Some participants expressed concern that even if they are not selected, their software could be used by unscrupulous people. However, one way that emerged to mitigate this was a suggestion that non-disclosure agreements could be included in the application supporting documents, if not on the online template.
Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), also known as confidentiality agreements, or proprietary information agreements are legal contracts between at least two parties to protect non-public business information.
With the ICT Board grant form not providing for NDAs, another suggested way of intellectual property protection was through the use of patents, copyrights and trademarks. Some participants nevertheless raised the point that the triumvirate of IP protection tools were expensive and beyond the reach of small entrepreneurs. However, a lawyer who gave a short presentation advised that in fact the cost of registering copyrights was Kshs. 600 (US$ 7.40) - not as punitive as earlier thought.
Copyrights, patents and trademarks provide innovators with exclusive rights, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt their work. These intellectual property rights also give the owners the right to commence legal proceedings to prevent unauthorized use of their innovation.
The discussion then veered onto how an entrepreneur engaging a large corporation could protect their idea from being exploited. However the unequal relationship power balance means that even though an entrepreneur may ask a corporate to sign an NDA, they do have the option of refusal. Many entrepreneurs have done away with their NDAs only to see their projects being used by the same companies they approached. In Kenya, there is also the problem of the time and expense it takes to pursue court cases which also act as a deterrence when seeking out the IP rights and protection.
The ICT Board could take up this issue to sensitise the private sector on the ethical sense of respecting the hard work of entrepreneurs. In the meantime, we will protect our innovations the best we can.
Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. - Confucius.
We recently stumbled upon Meme (pronounced “meem”), a technology site tracking innovation, social media, culture and business. The site features an interview with Richard Branson, the renowned entrepreneur - best known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies.
At the conclusion of the interview where Branson is asked about his philosophy on focus he responds: “I tend not to think of work as work, or business as business. I am passionate about any business or challenge I put the Virgin name to, this helps me to stay focused. I truly believe you have to love what you do and be the best in the market – simply by providing the consumer with the products they want.”
This triggered recall of another interview with social entrepreneur Ami Dar of Idealist.org on Dowser, a site that tells stories about people who are creatively attacking social problems. For those not in the know, Ami Dar is the founder of Idealist.org an interactive platform where people and organizations can take steps towards building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.
When discussing what motivates him, Ami Dar in the Dowser interview said “It can be frustrating at times, but when people ask me, ‘How do you motivate yourself, how do you keep going,’ I’ve never felt that I have a choice. I’ve never in a million years imagined working for a different organization. This isn’t a job, it’s not a workplace. It’s what I do.”
After the initial excitement of the brain wave that will change the world and revolutionise society has long ended; and the entrepreneur sets to the task of actually making their vision happen, sometimes set backs or sheer fatigue sets in. Then the visionary who was once so elated over their business idea starts to view it as work.
Though it has been said that employees work in a business while entrepreneurs work on their business, however particularly for the micro-entrepreneur sometimes all of a sudden the purpose of the idea looses prominence and the entrepreneur only sees the necessity of getting the work done.
After a while even that business plan we spent so much time on prior to launch gets thrown by the way side and it becomes a matter of survival to stay afloat. At this time it’s important to step aside, pick up the plan and assess whether you still see the bigger picture and whether it still excites you. If it does, then like Richard Branson and Ami Dar think of your business as a vocation. Your legacy to the world.
The regional integration of the East Africa community is finally here. With the promise of trade barriers falling, for East African entrepreneurs this bodes well in a common market of 130 million people.
After the collapse of the East African Community in 1977 due to political wrangling, there is a renewed sense of hope of expanded trade in a wider market. So far the revamped East African Community has set about the arduous task of harmonizing regulations to take into account the need to boost cross-border business and investment.
The Doing Business in East Africa 2010 report however indicates significant issues concerning the capacity of the member-state entrepreneurs to compete on a level playing field with each other. Despite the efforts at harmonizing laws pertaining to business and coalescing tax policies, internal barriers to enterprise will affect the number of entrepreneurs competing on the common market.
For instance the ease of venturing into enterprise is easiest in Rwanda with 2 procedures and a registered business in 3 days. Compare this with Kenya and Tanzania with 12 procedures and the business registered in 34 and 29 days respectively.
Then there is the crippling cost of starting a business where in Burundi the cost is 151.6% of income per capita in comparison with Kenya or Tanzania where the cost is 37%. And even though Kenya leads in facilitating licensing with 11 procedures for the entire region, the process is still time consuming. It takes 120 days Kenya and 143 in Uganda compared with the rest of member states where the process of procuring business licenses takes well over 200 days.
It is hoped the streamlining of tax revenue collection will facilitate cross-border enterprise. However the problem of enforcing contracts continues to act as a barrier to profitable trade. Where in Rwanda it takes 260 days to resolve contractual disagreements; in Burundi the process takes a whopping 832 days! Thus there still remains a lot to be done so that all East African entrepreneurs can truly benefit from the Common Market.
Read the Doing Business East Africa 2010 report here
Today all radio stations are warning Nairobi commuters about the traffic. It began yesterday with the imminent arrival of Barack Obama's number two Joe Biden. Add to that today he is meeting President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga while Parliament opens a new session - meaning everyone is texting each other "avoid town"!.
Then there is the massive road works project being undertaken throughout the country with the promise of making Kenya a super highway for domestic and cross-border trade. With the liberalisation of the market that has spawned a new generation of car dealer entrepreneurs whose used car imports cannot quench the market; this should have been the dream Kenya's Vision 2030 policy plan speaks of.
Alas that is not the case. Traffic jams have become the stock in trade. And the problem is not that one has to leave home before the crack of dawn just to get to work on time; but there is also the environmental problem with sub-standard cars jamming the streets spewing fumes to the detriment of the ozone layer.
Before the cry of Nairobi motorists was "those matatu drivers!". However today, even though matatu's still drive helter skelter, traffic jams still clog the streets.
Though it is commendable that the road work projects have the overall goal of reducing transport costs within Nairobi; for entrepreneurs the costs of being not just located in the Central Business District but now further afield in locales such as Westlands and Kilimani has meant that human traffic walk-in enterprises have had to readress their business models.
For the rest of us, we wonder what time we will get home today and what time tomorrow we have to wake up in order to get to work on time.
Johannesburg – 25 May 2010: The Africa Progress Panel (APP) has called for a more assertive approach from African leaders to translate the continent’s “immense resources” into social benefits for its people. The report warned that “Africans beyond elite circles are not benefiting sufficiently” while at the same time there was great scope to improve Africa’s partnerships with the Global South.
Kofi Annan, Chair of the Panel and fellow Panel members Linah Mohohlo, Peter Eigen and Olusegun Obasanjo presented the Africa Progress Report on Africa Day – five years since the establishment of the Panel and 10 years since world leaders signed up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The report takes stock of Africa’s progress since 2005 and assesses future opportunities for the continent.
“This landmark report argues that Africa’s future is in its own hands, but that success in managing its own affairs depends on supportive global policies and agreements,” Annan said. “There is no lack of resources, no deficiency of knowledge and no shortage of plans. Africa’s progress rests above all else on the mobilisation of political will, both on the continent and internationally.”
The panel has called on the continent’s finance ministers, who are meeting in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire for the Annual African Development Bank summit, to “climate proof” the continent’s economic growth and development. “Climate change will increase the cost of MDG attainment, whether in food production, health, water, energy, infrastructure and other areas; it will have disproportionate effects on women and the poor,” the Panel said. “As a result, it cannot be treated as a stand-alone issue; climate-proofed development plans can provide the basis for disaster risk reduction and adaptation strategies as well as help identify investment opportunities for low carbon and job generating growth.”
Focusing on Africa’s emergence as a “new economic frontier”, the Report notes that economic engagement with the Global South - China, the Far and Middle East, South Asia and Latin America - “is already having a substantial development impact on Africa”. However, the report asserts that “Africans beyond elite circles are not benefiting sufficiently” while at the same time “there is great scope to improve Africa’s partnerships with the Global South”. The report also notes that “African leaders... need to realize that the benefits of increasing economic ties are not automatic, but only accrue to those that take adequate and pro-active steps to exploit them through targeted policies.”
In particular, the report calls for:
Transparency throughout the entire resource system, from how contracts are awarded and monitored, to how taxes and royalties are collected, to how investment choices are made and executed.
Policies that ensure that the revenues from the continent’s natural wealth reach everyone. This requires major policy shifts and significant investments of resources in institutions, human capacities, women, health, education and infrastructure.
Stating that “Africa’s development and the welfare of its people depend above all upon the political commitment and capacity of its leaders”, the Panel also urges African policymakers to:
1)Empower women by enforcing existing conventions, laws and policies and link their efforts with effective implementation strategies including reliable reporting mechanisms
2)Climate proof development, not least through integrating adaptation to climate change into growth and development strategies, accelerating regional integration, harnessing the potential of information technology and anticipating demographic shifts
The Panel also identifies three priority areas for action for Africa’s partners, recording that Africa’s leaders “need an international environment that is fair and supportive of their efforts.” The report calls for international policymakers to:
1)Provide a level playing field, addressing the fact that “the continent is starkly underrepresented in virtually all international fora” and that “bloated subsidy regimes and unfair trade rules” leave African countries “heavily disadvantaged.”
2)Increase policy coherence for development, “recognising the overall impact that countries’ domestic and international policy mix has on the continent and seek to minimize their negative effects.”
3)Fulfil promises on resources and assistance, and “Africa’s partners to recommit to the consensus on the continent’s development and fulfil the many promises on financial support and assistance they have made over the last decade”.
Focusing on the approximately $100billion of financial assistance in annual expenditure from Africa’s partners required to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the presence of anticipated climate change, the report records that “much of this could actually be met if partners were to fulfil the pledges they made over the last couple of years and realize the financing ambitions outlined in the Copenhagen Accord.” It notes that “the mechanisms to collect, administer, and disburse these funds are already in place.”
Looking back on Africa’s progress over the last five years, the report describes it as “a truly mixed picture.” It states that “remarkable progress has been achieved in many fields, but... a number of set-backs, chronic problems and the effects of the global economic crisis and climate change combine to threaten the gains made since 2005.”
The Africa Progress Report highlights that the central challenge for Africa’s leaders is to inspire processes and build practical capacities, both nationally and regionally, to ensure that assets are translated into social benefits and that their people are able to access opportunities that can transform their lives, countries, and continent.
ABOUT THE AFRICA PROGRESS PANEL:
The Africa Progress Panel brings together a unique group of leaders under the chairmanship of Kofi Annan. The Panel monitors and promotes mutual accountability and shared responsibility for progress in Africa. Its three focus areas are economic and political governance; finance for sustainable development, including ODA; and MDG achievement – notably in light of climate change. The work of the Panel aims to track progress and draw attention to critical issues and opportunities for progress in Africa.
The Africa Progress Panel is comprised of:
§Kofi Annan (chair of the Africa Progress Panel, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Laureate)
§Tony Blair (founder, Africa Governance Initiative and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
§Michel Camdessus (former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund)
§Peter Eigen (founder and Chair of the Advisory Council, Transparency International and Chairman of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative)
§Bob Geldof (musician, businessman, founder and Chair of Band Aid, Live Aid and Live8, Co-founder of DATA and ONE)
§Graça Machel (President of the Foundation for Community Development and founder of New Faces New Voices)
§Linah Kelebogile Mohohlo (Governor, Bank of Botswana)
§Olusegun Obasanjo (Envoy of the Secretary-General on the Great Lakes region and former President of Nigeria)
§Robert Rubin (Co-Chairman of the Board, Council on Foreign Relations and former Secretary of the United States Treasury)
Five social entrepreneurs have been recognized as Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 in Africa during the Opening Plenary session of the 20th World Economic Forum on Africa, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 5 May.
Shona Mc Donald, founder of Shonaquip had previously been recognized as the Social Entrepreneur for South Africa. The other four winners are Godwin Ehigiamusoe of LAPO in Nigeria, Brien Holden and Kovin Naidoo of ICEE, and Victoria Kisyombe of SELFINA in Tanzania. They received their awards in the presence of President Jakaya M. Kikwete of Tanzania and the Co-Chairs of the 2010 World Economic Forum on Africa.
Social entrepreneurs emphasize long-term sustainability instead of short-term gains. Their primary focus is to maximize benefits for society and the environment by implementing innovative approaches to key challenges. They operate social businesses or organizations that are a mixture of non-profits and for-profits in areas such as energy efficiency, education, waste management, health, education, youth and rural development.
The winners will join a group of leading social entrepreneurs from across the African continent as well as others from Europe, India and the USA, and will be active participants providing insights on sustainability and social innovation in the discussions under the meeting’s theme Rethinking Africa’s Growth Strategy.
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, an affiliate organization of the World Economic Forum, conducts the search and selection of social entrepreneurs in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, India and South-East Asia. It selects three to five social entrepreneurs per year from each region. Selected social entrepreneurs are connected to the world’s business, political and media leaders through the events and initiatives of the World Economic Forum.
The following winners were awarded Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 in Africa:
LAPO is the leading microfinance institution in Nigeria with over 240,000 clients. It is recognized for delivering sound financial and social services to alleviate poverty and empowering the disadvantaged. Alongside its financial services offering, LAPO supports enterprise development in diverse areas such as food processing, craftworks, merchandising, fabrication and farming, while the LAPO Development Foundation provides social and health empowerment programmes addressing issues of empowerment, nutrition, health, discrimination, injustice and gender equality.
At least 670 million people, mostly in the developing world, are blind or vision impaired simply because they do not have access to a basic eye examination and a pair of glasses. ICEE works in ten African countries in addition to operations in Asia and Latin America to provide screening services and glasses prescriptions through its “Vision Centres”. It focuses on capacity building in the public sector to deliver eye care services, stimulating the professional role of optometrists and eye care providers, thereby expanding and sustaining its impact to 290,000 beneficiaries. It has also developed its own global supply chain and resource centre to reduce the cost of spectacles dramatically for its own services, and also for NGOs and public providers.
In Tanzania, where 75% of the population live in rural areas, and 33% live below the poverty line, most enterprising individuals do not have scarce working capital to buy equipment upfront. Victoria Kisyombe recognized that the capital outlay to buy assets and equipment for small businesses is difficult even on a microfinance loan and thus pioneered the leasing of fixed assets to women, which has led to the development of more than 18,000 value-added businesses and wealth creation. SELFINA’s clients, 60% of whom are in rural areas, become eventual owners of leased equipment and can use it as collateral for further borrowing.
Shonaquip is a social business that provides high-impact support services that promote inclusion and equal opportunity employment for persons with disabilities. It promotes and supports the safe provision of appropriate wheelchairs, offering professional support services and clinical training for professionals and families. It also designs and builds Africa-appropriate wheelchairs and postural support devices suitable for use in rural, rough terrain and remote areas. Shonaquip have 40,000 clients (80% children) who have been provided with mobility devices and receive ongoing holistic postural support.
