Community Development Banking List
12-21-2010, 10:18 AM
Original message from: giannisintltd@yahoo.co.uk
My full name is Okezie Nnamdi Ogbonna, with entry to the competition for the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) common currency competition launched in April 2001 by the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) ref no: WAMI/OP/SO/CR/04/02 , with the name ECO along with 78 others chosen as the name of the West African Monetary Zone –The zone www.wami-imao.org common currency .
The WAMZ -The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with a core mandate to create a common market in the mould of the EURO Zone in a bid to enhance the economic welfare of the citizens of the Zone.
SIX PARTICPIPATING COUNTRIES-
WEST AFRICAN MONETARY ZONE (WAMZ)
NIGERIA
GHANA
LIBERIA
SIERRA LEONE
GUINEA
THE GAMBIA
Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator embedded within the markets in the Member states fosters market-based approaches by consolidating trade integration within the context of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) framework, with a total number of 15 Member States .Giannis with a focus on the Base of the economic Pyramid (BOP)-that is the four (4) billion people with incomes below $3,000 per year in local purchasing power, most of whom are population segments living in fragile, conflict affected or both often in “Bottom Billion” States in Sub Saharan Africa.
AFRICA-A group of around 48 small, low-income countries with a combined population of 1.6 billion people who had missed out on global economic development and so had diverged form the rest of mankind.
THE CENTRAL CHALLENGE OF DEVELOPMENT
For the global economic development community is helping these countries to catch up with the rest of humanity.
The devastating impact of rising energy and food prices on the world’s poor has sparked alarm about this group’s vulnerability as global markets shift, often suddenly and deeply. The burdens of poverty, already heavy become crushing as family incomes fail to cover basic needs for food, shelter ,lighting etc.,
For Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator –ending this poverty and the vulnerability that goes with it is best approached by focusing on the potential of the poor as the world’s largest market of producers, workers and consumers with a global market worth of $5 trillion.
MARKET-BASED APPROACHES TO POVERTY REDUCTION
Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator with a focus on the BOP market make a concerted effort to include the poor in its business strategies, going beyond philanthropy and traditional concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to invest in the poor as producers and consumers.
Giannis innovative lighting supply chain business model prototype ref Application No; 1189/AECF/1151/0003 and weblink;http://www.aecf.org/admin/applicants/projectdetails.php?id=1189 ('http://www.aecf.org/admin/applicants/projectdetails.php?id=1189')
Giannis innovative prototype show how BOP market focused businesses can operate profitably in what is still the frontier of the mainstream market economy, while enhancing the well being of the poor by nurturing them as productive consumers.
Giannis innovation research and development (R&D) department has through its research and development projects and programs been at the fore-front of advancing market-based solutions, consolidation and economic development within the West African Special Economic Zone (WAMZ) the zone, in this regard, Giannis has over the past few years embarked on a series of innovation research and development (R&D) designing-concepts, strategy papers, and business plans-as well as extensive linkages fostered with different organizations across-the-board within the WAMZ innovation ecosystem such as;
UNIVERSITIES
PUBLIC LABORATORIES
BANKS
CUSTOMER ASSOCIATIONS
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY GROUPS
CITY CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
OTHER ENTERPRISES ETC…
An innovation strategy- a holistic and biological approach more appropriate than simply promoting ideas and projects from research to market, or – the reverse-identifying needs and calling upon research or the science base to satisfy them.
BUSINESS EDUCATION RESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE (BERTI)
A learning laboratory, which mirrors the innovation ethos of Silicon Valley. Through both mentor-supported distance learning and an intensive in-residency boot camp, this program enables social entrepreneurs from Africa to accelerate learning by doing as well as from planning and execution-the program offers a vast opportunity as a promising bottom-up model of socio-economic development.
GIANNIS INNOVATION ENTREPRENEURAL ETHOS
Fail often fail fast-at Giannis failure is associated with learning.
Rapid prototyping involving learning through iterative stages of disciplined failure-each characterized by an effort to surface design errors. In this context, engineering design reviews draw on peers with knowledge from across specialized and interdependent organizations within industry clusters to critically examine alternative solutions. Beta tests are used to shorten feedback loops, expose faulty assumptions, and refine design requirements.
Similarly, ongoing feedback from early adopters is used to expand market reach. And, since winning in the marketplace entails collective agency-in the innovation game teams win championships.
Giannis innovation ethos is underpinned by the above mentioned innovation key drivers.
ANALYZING GIANNIS’ SOCIAL VENTURE
THREE SECTOR CATEGORIES RELEVANT TO THE ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY include;
Those pertaining to the failure of government to provide access to public goods.
Those pertaining to market failure and the need for innovative market-based solutions to access affordable products and services.
Those pertaining to jobs and inclusive market opportunities (e.g., economic empowerment of the poor as producers through market linkages)
GIANNIS SECTOR STRATEGY
With four key drivers include;
The nature of challenges by geography
Technology alternatives
Needed business model innovations
Enabling or constraining public policy considerations
within this framework, the 2010 “lighting sector” strategy identifies alternative social venture models for addressing the specific challenges of energy access in Africa-provides a platform that gives traction to opportunities to develop innovative and clean energy solutions for off-grid populations in thousands of grassroots communities in Africa, in this instance, Giannis- leveraged rapid technological advancements that have cut prices, making them more affordable to poor rural households and small businesses with products now including new features such as mobile phone chargers, and closely meet consumer needs in combination with an innovative demand based business model to provide a scalable and replicable solution.
Additionally, Giannis tripartite approach combined the strengths of an entrepreneurial business with strong industry partners and local governance to provide the basis for on going political support and local maintenance.
THE ESSENCE OF THE SOLUTION AND BUSINESS MODEL
Entails an assessment at three levels;
Is there a unique value proposition?
Does the solution provide greater value than substitutes or competitive alternatives?
Does it deliver on its promise by providing greater economic value to specific target markets of the poor?
INVESTMENT REQUIREMENTS AND PROBABLE SOURCES OF CAPITAL
Giannis a social innovator, with leaders…..individuals connected in networks (who) intentionally mobilize people, ideas, meaning and resources toward achieving a purpose…..Harvard Professor Matt Andrews
Taps into multiple streams of capital such as;
Grants
The program Related Investment (PRI)
Investments of foundations
Government or public-private-partnerships (PPP) financing
Debt or equity capital tied to various internal Rate of capital.
In addition, Giannis’ innovative business models demonstrate market acceptance by generating a platform of revenues from recurring or earned income.
PROOF OF CONCEPT AND EVIDENCE OF THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT CRITICAL RESOURCES
Giannis, venture capital business models seek to mitigate risk in three categories such as;
Does the technology or solution work?
Is there evidence of market adoption and benefit?
Is the leader able to attract key resources, especially a strong team?
PLAUSIBLE THEORY OF CHANGE
A theory of change comprises inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes. Activities about points of leverage for achieving desired behavioral changes or improvements in living conditions and life choices for the poor. Are these clearly specified and plausible?
HOLISTIC SUSTAINABILITY
Giannis provides a solution with sustainability at four levels-
Social benefit at the local level;
Financial sustainability
Conservation of the global eco-system
Empowerment of the human spirit
Social value is assessed in diverse ways, costs per outcome, for example, considers the efficiency with which desired outcomes are achieved and might be compared with the Best Available Charitable Option (BACO) or comparable government costs.
Financial Sustainability has to do with whether a” financial engine” exists-for instance, are there sources of recurring revenue, adequate reserves, and positive cash flows.
Eco-system Sustainability considers screening for preservation of the natural environment.
Empowerment of the Human spirit is reflected in evidence of whether leaders are using the organization’s vision as an engagement tool. Examples of this might be reflected in increasing organizational capacity, partner or institutional support, volunteers, and community participation in governance.
Total Addressable Market considers the total size of the market and how much of this market might be served by Giannis an innovative social enterprise. It also addresses the issue of whether business plans exist to realize growth opportunities. Alternatively, does the possibility of “demonstration effects” exist where a successful model can lead to replication by others?
Finally, Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator can be viewed as a Bottom-up model of socio-economic development that seeks “balanced development” by working to overcome government and market failure. This model of economic development holds the glittering prospect to potentially draw on elements of a Silicon Valley to innovation.
References
Development Outreach-vol 11/no 2- October 2009-ISSN 1020-797X(C) 2010 The
World Bank Institute
ENERGY ACCESS CRISIS
Africa’s “energy poor” population segment of more than 90 percent of the rural population and 74 percent of the total population live outside grid connectivity-they rely on traditional forms of energy to meet their lighting needs, dominated by fuel-based sources such as kerosene, a costly and inefficient alternative that consumes 10-15 percent of annual household income. For the poorest family, the significantly high expenditures on kerosene for meeting their lighting needs affects their ability to pay for other day-to-day necessities, such as children's education family health care and nutrition, etc.
Exacerbating this problem, fuel-based, lighting also produces greenhouse gases (GHGs), leads to increased indoor air pollution and associated health risks, inhibits productivity and jeopardizes Human safety.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Fortunately, recent evidence suggests that solving Africa’s lighting issues maybe more achievable than ever before, largely the result of recent advances in modern lighting technologies, such as improved, efficient products like CFLs( Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), coupled with new findings revealing that Africans maybe willing and able to pay as much for modern lighting technologies as they are already paying for kerosene and other inefficient sources.
Opting for a market-based approach, Giannis has designed projects and programs to support the private sector innovate and deliver off-grid lighting products and solutions to Africa, in turn aiming to accelerate access to non-fossil fuel-based, low-cost, safe, clean and reliable off-grid lighting products with associated basic energy services, with the ambitious goal of reaching as many as 250 million people in Sub Saharan Africa by the year 2030.
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS (B2B) LINKAGES
Aimed at exposing the African off-grid market opportunity to the global lighting industry, facilitating the exchange of market and consumer knowledge and information, and promoting business partnerships between global and local intermediaries of the African off-grid lighting supply chain.
NEW MEDIA- NEW COMMUNICATION TOOLS
With the merger of social media and communication and the exponential speed at which social networks are building out around the world, only one thing is certain; a vital part of Human daily life is dramatically changing all over the globe, including how innovation ideas spread.
Adopting and adapting new tech “Apps” enhances our ability to identify, nourish, finance, replicate and scale up new ideas to meet human needs “smarter, better, faster and differently. For instance, ensure that Social entrepreneurs in rural West Africa have the biggest possible impact on the lives of people in other world regions.
OPENNESS
Technology has driven down the cost of disclosure so dramatically, our cultural norms around disclosure have shifted as well-which in turn has led to greater transparency.
SOURCES OF INNOVATION
Some innovations undoubtedly result from smart experts being pooled together, and others may come from solitary invention. But as Mark Granovetter points out:
…..[N]ot all innovations arise from the social inner circle. Indeed , the socially marginal may at times be best placed to break away from established practice…..as they are not involved in dense, cohesive social networks of strong ties which create a high level of consensus on standard practice1.
Thus, studies indicate that the lower an innovations champion in a Corporate, hierarchy, the more radical the innovation (Day 1994).
GO BEYOND BUSINESS TOURNAMENTS
The idea of holding business plans competitions to trigger policy reform now has become sufficiently common place that several books have been written about it.
Giannis is taking -forward innovation beyond the business plan competition stage to foster an ecosystem one that guarantees a seamless continuous flow of ideas, pilots, trials-grounded in a rich, nurturing environment that attracts some of the best minds and most entrepreneurial spirits in the WAMZ-The zone, Giannis creates a key link of that ecosystem-an analogous anchor to an ecosystem that supports innovation in development.
A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES
Giannis-serves as an intermediary agency to identify creative approaches to social enterprise- with completely new possibilities springing up all around the internet ecosystem as individuals and organizations are now directly sharing ideas with others, and finding them instantly when needed.
As Clay Shirky says in his book, Here Comes Everybody: The power of organizing without organizations, the ability of people to share, cooperate and act together is being improved dramatically by our social tools. He however warns though, that taking advantage of these opportunities will require a significant amount of “unlearning”-that “when a real, once- in- a -life time change comes along, we are at risk of regarding it as a fad…
All around the globe today people are texting, blogging, tweeting, uploading, downloading, crowd-sourcing, wiki-ing, linking in, geo-referencing, i-chatting, skyping, flipping videotaping, and more.
SOCIAL NETWORKING IN AFRICA
Social networking is emphatically not a phenomenon confined to Americans or Europeans. Africa, regarded for a long time, as the toughest test for internet usage, has already seen dramatic increases in popular use in both urban and rural areas.
Russell Southwood an expert of Balancing Act that the decade ahead will see usage soar as the benefits of an estimated US$ 50 billion of investment in off-grid base stations kick in….
As mobile and internet capacity is built out and converges, not only are more people taking advantage of it but they are demanding local content. Vernacular language websites and broadcasting, including new formats such as radio via internet and mobile are increasing, making the new communication mediums available to larger numbers of Africans without Western education or language skills.
Facebook, Youtube and Wikipedia already number among the top 10 websites used by Nigerians, even kids now use Facebook in Cafes in rural Nigeria
Faster than most of us can adjust, the tools for social dialogue and interactive communication are becoming available to almost everyone in the world through this new generation of social tools fueled by plunging economies of scale of ever more powerful technology. The ease, cost and reach has changed radically in the past five years: picturing what the next five years will bring not just in technology but changing behavior calls for greater imagination. Think back five years ago- did you foresee the rapid acceleration of Facebook, Twitter, or Skype?
SOCIAL MEDIA ECOSYSTEMS FOR INNOVATORS
Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator-with a fundamental view about social media specifically related to the flow of new ideas around the world-see it as the creation of “social ecosystems” that support, superbly, the processes essential to successful innovation. These include the functions of idea-sharing, scanning, broadcasting, replicating, and scaling through new forms of financing. These new ecosystems are, in essence, super powered and supercharged by their speed of transmission combined with a fluid exchange of ideas across multiple media forms and a variety of channels and the inclusion of voices not limited by language or location.
Social network platforms with wide-range audiences and interactivity turn-out- to –provide a much more productive and efficient approach for idea sharing.
The internet ecosystem and other forms of “working in the cloud” make collaboration infinitely easier for people working continents apart.
Increasingly, web-based business plan competitions enables global horizon scanning and crowd-sourcing for innovative new solutions. These typically, can take the form of innovation marketplaces (Global DM) or collaborative supply chains (AECF) weblink-http://www.aecf.org/admin/applicants/projectdetails.php?id=1189. ('http://www.aecf.org/admin/applicants/projectdetails.php?id=1189.') In both arenas, crowd-sourcing is rapidly used to surface and select the most interesting new proposals.
FINANCING
The hardest hurdle that any small entrepreneur to overcome, has also experienced its own reinvention, with the personalization of Microfinance via the internet, enabling individuals make small loans to individual entrepreneurs halfway across the world.
TRANSLATION ENGINES
Translation engines now spread ideas globally, a key link to the international replication of ideas-the grease that will help ideas flow more quickly from region-to-region. A key, transformative development, the emergence of multilingual social networking as a seamless part of daily life-with the quality of machine and volunteer capabilities improving exponentially, translation is moving rapidly from a time- consuming, expensive, difficult process to one that is timely, affordable and routine. Not just multi-media but multi-lingual formats are about to become standard operating procedure for online dialogue and for social enterprise organizations.
Perhaps, these and more, maybe one reason why Joichi Ito, the CEO of creative commons, posits that ideas don’t scale, they “spread” and that worthy ideas go viral. In the new age of translation ahead of us, ideas will spread wider and faster than ever before.
NEVER A BETTER TIME
Latest emerging marketplace trends suggests-more than 4 billion pieces of content has been shared on Facebook, more and more of it in the developing world.
The once, almost imperceptible merger of communication and Social media has now moved both to the center of the innovation agenda. Behavior is constantly changing drastically all over the world. These linkages are spilling out in all directions.
For Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator, that seeks to encourage the timely creation and spread of innovative solutions in development and increase their impact, market place research findings suggests ,that the market potential for new media is enormous and ripe for investment.
CALL FOR INNOVATION PROPOSALS
Based on the facts high lighted previously, Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator, hereby use this medium to reach out to all key actors within the global innovation ecosystem interested in leveraging on fostered linkages and networks created to add superior value to business prospecting within the West African innovation ecology.
(OFF-GRID LIGHTING SOLUTION)
400 units of solar lanterns
400 units of off-grid solar home systems
10 units of solar powered charging kiosks and ICT hubs (internet enabled)
400 units off-grid solar PV modules
400 units of solar utility stoves
400 units of solar battery chargers
(AGRI-BUSINESS)
Community infrastructure model
6 units of mini Agri-processing facilities for Cassava (to convert cassava to ethanol and other derivatives)
6 units of mini Agri-processing for Palm oil (to convert Palm oil to biodiesel and other derivatives)
NOTE: all mini mills to be run on renewable energy (UNDER 5 KW)
Interested parties should also send in company details with appropriate documentation as well as hard copy product samples most especially for portable devices while soft copies will suffice for larger devices.
CONTACT
ENGINEER CHRIS OKPECHI
IST VICE PRESIDENT
UMUAHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MINES AND AGRICULTURE (UCCIMA)
44 AZIKIWE ROAD, UMUAHIA, ABIA STATE, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA. http://uccima.com.ng/ ('http://uccima.com.ng/')
OKEZIE NNAMDI OGBONNA
GIANNIS INTERNATIONAL LTD RC: 697704
77 MARINE ROAD, APAPA, LAGOS, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA.
+233248953272
CHARLES CHIJIOKE NWAOZURU
GIANNIS INTERNATIONAL LTD RC: 697704
77 MARINE ROAD, APAPA, LAGOS, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA.
+2348020784523
My full name is Okezie Nnamdi Ogbonna, with entry to the competition for the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) common currency competition launched in April 2001 by the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) ref no: WAMI/OP/SO/CR/04/02 , with the name ECO along with 78 others chosen as the name of the West African Monetary Zone –The zone www.wami-imao.org common currency .
The WAMZ -The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with a core mandate to create a common market in the mould of the EURO Zone in a bid to enhance the economic welfare of the citizens of the Zone.
SIX PARTICPIPATING COUNTRIES-
WEST AFRICAN MONETARY ZONE (WAMZ)
NIGERIA
GHANA
LIBERIA
SIERRA LEONE
GUINEA
THE GAMBIA
Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator embedded within the markets in the Member states fosters market-based approaches by consolidating trade integration within the context of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) framework, with a total number of 15 Member States .Giannis with a focus on the Base of the economic Pyramid (BOP)-that is the four (4) billion people with incomes below $3,000 per year in local purchasing power, most of whom are population segments living in fragile, conflict affected or both often in “Bottom Billion” States in Sub Saharan Africa.
AFRICA-A group of around 48 small, low-income countries with a combined population of 1.6 billion people who had missed out on global economic development and so had diverged form the rest of mankind.
THE CENTRAL CHALLENGE OF DEVELOPMENT
For the global economic development community is helping these countries to catch up with the rest of humanity.
The devastating impact of rising energy and food prices on the world’s poor has sparked alarm about this group’s vulnerability as global markets shift, often suddenly and deeply. The burdens of poverty, already heavy become crushing as family incomes fail to cover basic needs for food, shelter ,lighting etc.,
For Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator –ending this poverty and the vulnerability that goes with it is best approached by focusing on the potential of the poor as the world’s largest market of producers, workers and consumers with a global market worth of $5 trillion.
MARKET-BASED APPROACHES TO POVERTY REDUCTION
Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator with a focus on the BOP market make a concerted effort to include the poor in its business strategies, going beyond philanthropy and traditional concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to invest in the poor as producers and consumers.
Giannis innovative lighting supply chain business model prototype ref Application No; 1189/AECF/1151/0003 and weblink;http://www.aecf.org/admin/applicants/projectdetails.php?id=1189 ('http://www.aecf.org/admin/applicants/projectdetails.php?id=1189')
Giannis innovative prototype show how BOP market focused businesses can operate profitably in what is still the frontier of the mainstream market economy, while enhancing the well being of the poor by nurturing them as productive consumers.
Giannis innovation research and development (R&D) department has through its research and development projects and programs been at the fore-front of advancing market-based solutions, consolidation and economic development within the West African Special Economic Zone (WAMZ) the zone, in this regard, Giannis has over the past few years embarked on a series of innovation research and development (R&D) designing-concepts, strategy papers, and business plans-as well as extensive linkages fostered with different organizations across-the-board within the WAMZ innovation ecosystem such as;
UNIVERSITIES
PUBLIC LABORATORIES
BANKS
CUSTOMER ASSOCIATIONS
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY GROUPS
CITY CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
OTHER ENTERPRISES ETC…
An innovation strategy- a holistic and biological approach more appropriate than simply promoting ideas and projects from research to market, or – the reverse-identifying needs and calling upon research or the science base to satisfy them.
BUSINESS EDUCATION RESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE (BERTI)
A learning laboratory, which mirrors the innovation ethos of Silicon Valley. Through both mentor-supported distance learning and an intensive in-residency boot camp, this program enables social entrepreneurs from Africa to accelerate learning by doing as well as from planning and execution-the program offers a vast opportunity as a promising bottom-up model of socio-economic development.
GIANNIS INNOVATION ENTREPRENEURAL ETHOS
Fail often fail fast-at Giannis failure is associated with learning.
Rapid prototyping involving learning through iterative stages of disciplined failure-each characterized by an effort to surface design errors. In this context, engineering design reviews draw on peers with knowledge from across specialized and interdependent organizations within industry clusters to critically examine alternative solutions. Beta tests are used to shorten feedback loops, expose faulty assumptions, and refine design requirements.
Similarly, ongoing feedback from early adopters is used to expand market reach. And, since winning in the marketplace entails collective agency-in the innovation game teams win championships.
Giannis innovation ethos is underpinned by the above mentioned innovation key drivers.
ANALYZING GIANNIS’ SOCIAL VENTURE
THREE SECTOR CATEGORIES RELEVANT TO THE ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY include;
Those pertaining to the failure of government to provide access to public goods.
Those pertaining to market failure and the need for innovative market-based solutions to access affordable products and services.
Those pertaining to jobs and inclusive market opportunities (e.g., economic empowerment of the poor as producers through market linkages)
GIANNIS SECTOR STRATEGY
With four key drivers include;
The nature of challenges by geography
Technology alternatives
Needed business model innovations
Enabling or constraining public policy considerations
within this framework, the 2010 “lighting sector” strategy identifies alternative social venture models for addressing the specific challenges of energy access in Africa-provides a platform that gives traction to opportunities to develop innovative and clean energy solutions for off-grid populations in thousands of grassroots communities in Africa, in this instance, Giannis- leveraged rapid technological advancements that have cut prices, making them more affordable to poor rural households and small businesses with products now including new features such as mobile phone chargers, and closely meet consumer needs in combination with an innovative demand based business model to provide a scalable and replicable solution.
Additionally, Giannis tripartite approach combined the strengths of an entrepreneurial business with strong industry partners and local governance to provide the basis for on going political support and local maintenance.
THE ESSENCE OF THE SOLUTION AND BUSINESS MODEL
Entails an assessment at three levels;
Is there a unique value proposition?
Does the solution provide greater value than substitutes or competitive alternatives?
Does it deliver on its promise by providing greater economic value to specific target markets of the poor?
INVESTMENT REQUIREMENTS AND PROBABLE SOURCES OF CAPITAL
Giannis a social innovator, with leaders…..individuals connected in networks (who) intentionally mobilize people, ideas, meaning and resources toward achieving a purpose…..Harvard Professor Matt Andrews
Taps into multiple streams of capital such as;
Grants
The program Related Investment (PRI)
Investments of foundations
Government or public-private-partnerships (PPP) financing
Debt or equity capital tied to various internal Rate of capital.
In addition, Giannis’ innovative business models demonstrate market acceptance by generating a platform of revenues from recurring or earned income.
PROOF OF CONCEPT AND EVIDENCE OF THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT CRITICAL RESOURCES
Giannis, venture capital business models seek to mitigate risk in three categories such as;
Does the technology or solution work?
Is there evidence of market adoption and benefit?
Is the leader able to attract key resources, especially a strong team?
PLAUSIBLE THEORY OF CHANGE
A theory of change comprises inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes. Activities about points of leverage for achieving desired behavioral changes or improvements in living conditions and life choices for the poor. Are these clearly specified and plausible?
HOLISTIC SUSTAINABILITY
Giannis provides a solution with sustainability at four levels-
Social benefit at the local level;
Financial sustainability
Conservation of the global eco-system
Empowerment of the human spirit
Social value is assessed in diverse ways, costs per outcome, for example, considers the efficiency with which desired outcomes are achieved and might be compared with the Best Available Charitable Option (BACO) or comparable government costs.
Financial Sustainability has to do with whether a” financial engine” exists-for instance, are there sources of recurring revenue, adequate reserves, and positive cash flows.
Eco-system Sustainability considers screening for preservation of the natural environment.
Empowerment of the Human spirit is reflected in evidence of whether leaders are using the organization’s vision as an engagement tool. Examples of this might be reflected in increasing organizational capacity, partner or institutional support, volunteers, and community participation in governance.
Total Addressable Market considers the total size of the market and how much of this market might be served by Giannis an innovative social enterprise. It also addresses the issue of whether business plans exist to realize growth opportunities. Alternatively, does the possibility of “demonstration effects” exist where a successful model can lead to replication by others?
Finally, Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator can be viewed as a Bottom-up model of socio-economic development that seeks “balanced development” by working to overcome government and market failure. This model of economic development holds the glittering prospect to potentially draw on elements of a Silicon Valley to innovation.
References
Development Outreach-vol 11/no 2- October 2009-ISSN 1020-797X(C) 2010 The
World Bank Institute
ENERGY ACCESS CRISIS
Africa’s “energy poor” population segment of more than 90 percent of the rural population and 74 percent of the total population live outside grid connectivity-they rely on traditional forms of energy to meet their lighting needs, dominated by fuel-based sources such as kerosene, a costly and inefficient alternative that consumes 10-15 percent of annual household income. For the poorest family, the significantly high expenditures on kerosene for meeting their lighting needs affects their ability to pay for other day-to-day necessities, such as children's education family health care and nutrition, etc.
Exacerbating this problem, fuel-based, lighting also produces greenhouse gases (GHGs), leads to increased indoor air pollution and associated health risks, inhibits productivity and jeopardizes Human safety.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Fortunately, recent evidence suggests that solving Africa’s lighting issues maybe more achievable than ever before, largely the result of recent advances in modern lighting technologies, such as improved, efficient products like CFLs( Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), coupled with new findings revealing that Africans maybe willing and able to pay as much for modern lighting technologies as they are already paying for kerosene and other inefficient sources.
Opting for a market-based approach, Giannis has designed projects and programs to support the private sector innovate and deliver off-grid lighting products and solutions to Africa, in turn aiming to accelerate access to non-fossil fuel-based, low-cost, safe, clean and reliable off-grid lighting products with associated basic energy services, with the ambitious goal of reaching as many as 250 million people in Sub Saharan Africa by the year 2030.
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS (B2B) LINKAGES
Aimed at exposing the African off-grid market opportunity to the global lighting industry, facilitating the exchange of market and consumer knowledge and information, and promoting business partnerships between global and local intermediaries of the African off-grid lighting supply chain.
NEW MEDIA- NEW COMMUNICATION TOOLS
With the merger of social media and communication and the exponential speed at which social networks are building out around the world, only one thing is certain; a vital part of Human daily life is dramatically changing all over the globe, including how innovation ideas spread.
Adopting and adapting new tech “Apps” enhances our ability to identify, nourish, finance, replicate and scale up new ideas to meet human needs “smarter, better, faster and differently. For instance, ensure that Social entrepreneurs in rural West Africa have the biggest possible impact on the lives of people in other world regions.
OPENNESS
Technology has driven down the cost of disclosure so dramatically, our cultural norms around disclosure have shifted as well-which in turn has led to greater transparency.
SOURCES OF INNOVATION
Some innovations undoubtedly result from smart experts being pooled together, and others may come from solitary invention. But as Mark Granovetter points out:
…..[N]ot all innovations arise from the social inner circle. Indeed , the socially marginal may at times be best placed to break away from established practice…..as they are not involved in dense, cohesive social networks of strong ties which create a high level of consensus on standard practice1.
Thus, studies indicate that the lower an innovations champion in a Corporate, hierarchy, the more radical the innovation (Day 1994).
GO BEYOND BUSINESS TOURNAMENTS
The idea of holding business plans competitions to trigger policy reform now has become sufficiently common place that several books have been written about it.
Giannis is taking -forward innovation beyond the business plan competition stage to foster an ecosystem one that guarantees a seamless continuous flow of ideas, pilots, trials-grounded in a rich, nurturing environment that attracts some of the best minds and most entrepreneurial spirits in the WAMZ-The zone, Giannis creates a key link of that ecosystem-an analogous anchor to an ecosystem that supports innovation in development.
A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES
Giannis-serves as an intermediary agency to identify creative approaches to social enterprise- with completely new possibilities springing up all around the internet ecosystem as individuals and organizations are now directly sharing ideas with others, and finding them instantly when needed.
As Clay Shirky says in his book, Here Comes Everybody: The power of organizing without organizations, the ability of people to share, cooperate and act together is being improved dramatically by our social tools. He however warns though, that taking advantage of these opportunities will require a significant amount of “unlearning”-that “when a real, once- in- a -life time change comes along, we are at risk of regarding it as a fad…
All around the globe today people are texting, blogging, tweeting, uploading, downloading, crowd-sourcing, wiki-ing, linking in, geo-referencing, i-chatting, skyping, flipping videotaping, and more.
SOCIAL NETWORKING IN AFRICA
Social networking is emphatically not a phenomenon confined to Americans or Europeans. Africa, regarded for a long time, as the toughest test for internet usage, has already seen dramatic increases in popular use in both urban and rural areas.
Russell Southwood an expert of Balancing Act that the decade ahead will see usage soar as the benefits of an estimated US$ 50 billion of investment in off-grid base stations kick in….
As mobile and internet capacity is built out and converges, not only are more people taking advantage of it but they are demanding local content. Vernacular language websites and broadcasting, including new formats such as radio via internet and mobile are increasing, making the new communication mediums available to larger numbers of Africans without Western education or language skills.
Facebook, Youtube and Wikipedia already number among the top 10 websites used by Nigerians, even kids now use Facebook in Cafes in rural Nigeria
Faster than most of us can adjust, the tools for social dialogue and interactive communication are becoming available to almost everyone in the world through this new generation of social tools fueled by plunging economies of scale of ever more powerful technology. The ease, cost and reach has changed radically in the past five years: picturing what the next five years will bring not just in technology but changing behavior calls for greater imagination. Think back five years ago- did you foresee the rapid acceleration of Facebook, Twitter, or Skype?
SOCIAL MEDIA ECOSYSTEMS FOR INNOVATORS
Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator-with a fundamental view about social media specifically related to the flow of new ideas around the world-see it as the creation of “social ecosystems” that support, superbly, the processes essential to successful innovation. These include the functions of idea-sharing, scanning, broadcasting, replicating, and scaling through new forms of financing. These new ecosystems are, in essence, super powered and supercharged by their speed of transmission combined with a fluid exchange of ideas across multiple media forms and a variety of channels and the inclusion of voices not limited by language or location.
Social network platforms with wide-range audiences and interactivity turn-out- to –provide a much more productive and efficient approach for idea sharing.
The internet ecosystem and other forms of “working in the cloud” make collaboration infinitely easier for people working continents apart.
Increasingly, web-based business plan competitions enables global horizon scanning and crowd-sourcing for innovative new solutions. These typically, can take the form of innovation marketplaces (Global DM) or collaborative supply chains (AECF) weblink-http://www.aecf.org/admin/applicants/projectdetails.php?id=1189. ('http://www.aecf.org/admin/applicants/projectdetails.php?id=1189.') In both arenas, crowd-sourcing is rapidly used to surface and select the most interesting new proposals.
FINANCING
The hardest hurdle that any small entrepreneur to overcome, has also experienced its own reinvention, with the personalization of Microfinance via the internet, enabling individuals make small loans to individual entrepreneurs halfway across the world.
TRANSLATION ENGINES
Translation engines now spread ideas globally, a key link to the international replication of ideas-the grease that will help ideas flow more quickly from region-to-region. A key, transformative development, the emergence of multilingual social networking as a seamless part of daily life-with the quality of machine and volunteer capabilities improving exponentially, translation is moving rapidly from a time- consuming, expensive, difficult process to one that is timely, affordable and routine. Not just multi-media but multi-lingual formats are about to become standard operating procedure for online dialogue and for social enterprise organizations.
Perhaps, these and more, maybe one reason why Joichi Ito, the CEO of creative commons, posits that ideas don’t scale, they “spread” and that worthy ideas go viral. In the new age of translation ahead of us, ideas will spread wider and faster than ever before.
NEVER A BETTER TIME
Latest emerging marketplace trends suggests-more than 4 billion pieces of content has been shared on Facebook, more and more of it in the developing world.
The once, almost imperceptible merger of communication and Social media has now moved both to the center of the innovation agenda. Behavior is constantly changing drastically all over the world. These linkages are spilling out in all directions.
For Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator, that seeks to encourage the timely creation and spread of innovative solutions in development and increase their impact, market place research findings suggests ,that the market potential for new media is enormous and ripe for investment.
CALL FOR INNOVATION PROPOSALS
Based on the facts high lighted previously, Giannis-RC: 697704-a global social entrepreneurship Business Development Services (BDS) innovator, hereby use this medium to reach out to all key actors within the global innovation ecosystem interested in leveraging on fostered linkages and networks created to add superior value to business prospecting within the West African innovation ecology.
(OFF-GRID LIGHTING SOLUTION)
400 units of solar lanterns
400 units of off-grid solar home systems
10 units of solar powered charging kiosks and ICT hubs (internet enabled)
400 units off-grid solar PV modules
400 units of solar utility stoves
400 units of solar battery chargers
(AGRI-BUSINESS)
Community infrastructure model
6 units of mini Agri-processing facilities for Cassava (to convert cassava to ethanol and other derivatives)
6 units of mini Agri-processing for Palm oil (to convert Palm oil to biodiesel and other derivatives)
NOTE: all mini mills to be run on renewable energy (UNDER 5 KW)
Interested parties should also send in company details with appropriate documentation as well as hard copy product samples most especially for portable devices while soft copies will suffice for larger devices.
CONTACT
ENGINEER CHRIS OKPECHI
IST VICE PRESIDENT
UMUAHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MINES AND AGRICULTURE (UCCIMA)
44 AZIKIWE ROAD, UMUAHIA, ABIA STATE, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA. http://uccima.com.ng/ ('http://uccima.com.ng/')
OKEZIE NNAMDI OGBONNA
GIANNIS INTERNATIONAL LTD RC: 697704
77 MARINE ROAD, APAPA, LAGOS, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA.
+233248953272
CHARLES CHIJIOKE NWAOZURU
GIANNIS INTERNATIONAL LTD RC: 697704
77 MARINE ROAD, APAPA, LAGOS, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA.
+2348020784523