TEDGlobal 2017, Arusha, Tanzania The Hidden Opportunities in the Informal Economy Lecture on Technology and Inequality, BankInter Foundation, Madrid, Spain, November 2016 Transcript Future Trends Forum, BankInter Foundation, Spain, June 2016 African Development Bank Innovation Weekend, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, October 2015 How Africa is Challenging Marketing […]
For an American startup, we crafted a market entry strategy for a digital payments solution. The Problem: Little or no research has been conducted to measure Nigeria’s informal cross border payment flows – whether by merchants and traders, or by economic migrants from neighbouring countries. Official statistics capture only the formal economy, rendering a skewed […]
For a British startup we designed a reputation ranking system based on a payment gateway Social media platforms such as Facebook Groups and WhatsApp are rapidly emerging as informal marketplaces in African markets such as Nigeria and Kenya. Expanding the conventional definition of e-commerce, these enterprising merchants engage and build communities of followers who are […]
For a Finnish startup, we designed a business productivity tool embedded in a marketplace app The Problem: Traders in the informal markets were dependent on handwritten sales logs, and their own memory to track inventory and sales data, often bypassing the effort to calculate their cash flow patterns and profitability. At the same time, there […]
Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) was established with the aim of growing sustainable, inclusive prosperity in East Africa through trade. They believe that this will require significant investments in working to expand, and potentially formalise, informal trade. We were requested to deliver insights to support the design of their second phase of operations, viz. To […]
We were tasked to assess the market and value the opportunity space for our client Village Telco, a social enterprise start up whose mission is to enable affordable access to voice and data communications in challenging environments. Since their intended target audience was to be cyber cafes (internet cafes) and this industry is very much […]
The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contribute to PPPs with the intent of proliferating sustainable agricultural practices with farmers in developing countries, thus promoting sustainable and equitable growth. In search for opportunities to enhance the scale and spread of such practices, we were requested by both Ministries to conduct […]
What insights can we derive from observing and understanding how those at the BoP currently manage their household budgets to inspire new transaction models or pricing strategies for businesses wishing to serve the poor more effectively, yet profitably? Selected in 2008 Small Grants competition conducted by iBoP Asia Project to conduct exploratory research in rural […]
Exploratory user research on energy consumption behaviour using design ethnography methods was conducted in Makueni district of Kenya. This immersion exercise focusing built upon existing knowledge of Base of the Pyramid (BoP) informal cash based markets, operating environment, consumer behaviour and rural purchasing patterns and household financial management. Sampling was done based on two attributes […]
Deep dive immersion into rural household energy market in East Africa. Market trends, competitive analysis, pricing and consumer purchasing patterns were observed and documented for solar lamp manufacturer with extensive distribution network but poor sales. Synthesis and assessment of company’s consumer facing behaviour identified gaps in distribution, retail channels and customer awareness activities. Strategic recommendations […]
