Main points covered

1. Experiences from aid failures and new opportunities in Africa with special reference to Bio-diesel and the Kibera slumsCITRIS presentation, Feb. 5- 2007By Eirik Jarl Trondsen – Patron KYSG & manager Energy Africa ltd.

2. Main points covered • Somemajor challenges based on personal experience with development projects in Africa. • New opportunities for the rural areas and for the urban areas. The potential for production of bio-diesel, and for hi tech solutions like internet in urban slums. • Bio diesel for Africa - The Jatropha plant and its uses. • An example of the growing urban poverty in Africa; the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. • What fails in Kibera and why? • What survives in Kibera and why, some opportunities for hi-tech! • One local example of survival, and why it survived (Kibera Youth Self Help Group) • Threats to the survival of KYSG and similar groups. • Role of technology and CITRIS

3. Why development projects in Africa fail • Projects are normally designed with no direct input from the community they serve, and with little involvement from the beneficiaries in decision making. • Experiences with previous development project failures makes target group doubt the sustainability of new interventions. • The beneficiaries often expect things for free or with very limited contribution because of such experiences in the past. • For many NGOs the donor’s expectations and requirements are more important than the impact of the project. Those who pay for aid (donor) are far from those who receive the benefits. • Complaints of the beneficiaries are not taken seriously, and often no system for feedback to project management exists.

4. More reasons for failures • Corruption within projects and in society as a whole, conflicts, illness (e.g. TB and AIDS) and pure desperation make many want to get something small today, rather than something big in the future. • Political interference is common, projects are used by politicians for personal gain, distorting the objective and undermining sustainability. • Differences in technological level and culture between rural and urban areas are sometimes not considered.

5. Opportunities for success • Technology that is popular, may be scaled up quickly e.g. mobiles: • Mobile phones and internet have grown with incredible pace in Africa. • Even Somalia has 3 well functioning and competing mobile phone companies. • 10% or 3 million people out of a total of 30 million in Kenya use mobile phones. Only a small fraction of them ever had a land line. • Globalization and a growing middle class in urban areas gives increased opportunities. Some of what is now slum will soon become middle class (car, house ownership; access to running water and electricity in the house) • Projects need the beneficiaries at the forefront of decision making • E.g. savings and loan group model where everything from interest rate to size of contributions is decided within the groups. MMD group savings and loan model.

6. More opportunities • Access to information is a key. • Already modern technology from mobile phones is revolutionizing bank and price/market information and reducing cost (e.g. South Africa, Bangladesh). • Groups such as M2 in the Kibera slums are promoting their art using the internet. Check out their web site www.art4peace.org • Access to wireless internet in densely populated slums. • Linking e.g. health clinics, schools and NGOs in the slums for information sharing would improve their impact at a low cost. • In rural areas bio-fuel using especially Jatropha is giving Africa new hope by combining poverty reduction, re-forestation and an alternative to fossil fuels. • Energy Africa Ltd. has a vision to make East Africa fuel self-sufficient through biofuel production using Jatropha plant, which will bring huge environmental benefits. Currently 350 000 plants are growing and 600 farmers engaged.

7. Jatropha plant and its many uses • Jatropha plant is common in Africa. It is currently used in most parts of Africa for fencing, to mark graves and against erosion & desertification. • The leafs and oil from seeds are not suitable for human or animal consumption. Unlike other bio-fuel crops the plant does not compete with food crops, and may be pressed on farm level. • The seed has a fast (about 14 days) and high germination rate (up to 80%). The plant should produce seed in second year and is mature in year 4. Properly cared for the plant should last for at least at least 40 years. • The plant has no known major diseases. It is unattractive to wild animals and livestock, the planted seed is not taken by monkeys or birds. • Other bi products from the seed/fruit made with a simple process include soap, fertilizer, medicinal uses. • Maintenance consists of continuous pruning in order to prevent the tree from growing too high and to prevent the tree from encroaching on its neighbors.

8. Jatropha tree

9. Jatropha as oil plant • Jatropha grows almost anywhere including arid areas with poor soil. In arid areas (e.g. Mali) it produces about ½ kg/yr of seed per plant, and in areas of high rainfall up to 5 kg/yr of seed per plant. • The seed holds 15-35% oil by weight, which can be extracted either by hand or machine at the farm, or at specialized facilities. 5 kg of seeds will give about 1 liter of oil per year. • Jatropha is planted at 2 m intervals giving 1000 plants to the acre (2400 plants to the Ha). Yield estimate is 1 liter of oil per tree per year, giving roughly 1000 liters of oil per acre per year. • The oil can be used as a paraffin substitute without any further refining (for heating and lighting). A refining process is needed to remove the glycerin to turn the oil into diesel which can then be used in diesel engines. • Challenges: • large scale needed for economic viability • not yet a priority for East African gov’ts • refinery technology needs improvements (mobile refinery?) • plant needs genetic modifications to increase yield per plant

10. Jatropha fruit

11. Characteristics of a slum, Kibera The future of the African population • Kibera is one of the largest slums in Africa (~1 mill. people on 2,5 sq-km), only 5 min drive from down town Nairobi, capitol of Kenya. • Kenya faces rapid urbanization. Many immigrants from rural areas arrive, and the new arrivals end up in Kibera slum. • Between 1950 and 1990 the urban population in Africa increased from 14.5% to 32%. The UN estimates that by the year 2025 a total of 54% of Africans will live in urban areas. • Kibera is an unplanned settlement. Residents have no ownership right to the land they live on. The ”landlords” constructed structures illegally, and many of them live outside slum themselves. • Government services are very limited. Lack of latrines and running water leads to poor sanitation. Crime and conflict common. • Population has access to information via TV, internet, advertisements, etc. and proximity to wealthy areas makes them eager for their own improvement.

15. Kibera problems • Youth feel a lack of employment opportunities and prospects to live a dignified life in Kibera. • Crime rampant among youth, dangerous activites such as drug dealing, prostitution, illegal brewing and robbery fairly common. • HIV/Aids, drug abuse/drunkenness using dangerous illicit brew and lynching (mob justice) major cause of death among youth in Kibera. • Poor living environment, feases and garbage scattered.

17. The opportunities of Kibera • Plenty of youth creativity, talent and ability if opportunities are offered • The youth have an excellent ability to adopt to new technology, e.g. mobile phones, computers and Internet. • High unemployement and flexible youth give a large work force. Often they lack the contacts that will give them a job even if they are qualified. • Youth have often a relative high level of education, secondary and tertiary education is not uncommon in Kibera.

19. Kibera Youth Self Help Group • Established in 2001 by unemployed Kibera slum youth out of a vision to clean the neighbourhood, while getting an income doing it. • KYSG enganged in both business and social activities and have their own web site, developed themselves: www.kibera.net • Business activities include garbage collection (800 clients), recyceling of plastics and metals and making organic manure out of organic waste. In addition car wash and carpet cleaning are key activites. • KYSG Social activities; two soccer teams, a theater group and regular mentoring and training of orphans and vulnerable children. • Steady growth in membership and employement, currently 20 employees (part/full time) engaged in the business activites. Approximatly 60 members.

22. Why KYSG is a success • Not founded as a way to obtain funds, and did not receive substantial external funds in the initial phase. Gradual expansion. • Popular and well known in the community as a group that provides good services and members are disciplined. • No, or limited external inteference from NGOs or donors in the group’s affairs. • Leaders that work hard and get their hands dirty when needed, leading by example. • Reward harder workers and gets rid of members trying to exploit. • The group has a mixed ethnic and gender composition.

24. Threats to KYSG and similar groups • Group politics, especially around election of leaders. • Poor leadership and arrogance. • Government interference/corruption. • Sometimes easy money is creating dependency and unrealistic expectations. • Diversions from core business and area of competence. NGO influence. T shirt and Per diem • Conflict between social and business side, where one side is eating to much into the other. • To many activities, leading to lack of competency and focus. • Lack of disipline among employees and members

26. Use of technology in KYSG/Kibera • E.g. KYSG have with success computerized their client data base and developed their own web page (www.kibera.net). • Many members have e-mail accounts and keep in touch with friends in other parts of the world. • Several cyber cafe has come up in the outskirts of Kibera. • Kibera population interested in and capable of using modern technology e.g mobile phone and internet. • A wireless system for Kibera could be a cheap internvetion reaching potentially 1 million people and creating opportunities.

27. Keys for using technology to transform Africa • Community ownership and collaboration from the start of the project. The stakeholders should feel they have a vested interest in the intervention. • Use local gate keepers like KYSG and Energy Africa ltd or other trusted organizations to access slums and farmers for interventions • Accept that the initial stage will take some time, but once it picks up it can be rolled out on a large levels fast. • Aim for the big markets, like internet, mobile phones and bio-energy/environment • Choose areas with a huge ready market, e.g. internet/mobile phones in the urban areas, or fuel for cooking, lighting and machinery in rural areas. • Do not compete with other initiatives (e.g private cyber cafe’s in slum) but coordinate, cooperate and create synergy and share information). • Must consider social, environmental and economic aspects and make sure no conflict exists there.

28. Why CITRIS should get involved Africa has huge potential, is rich in resources and will have to be included in globalization. Africa will grow rapidly and the rest of the world will benefit from Africa that is economically strong, unpolluted, and with skills to use high-tech for its own development. How could CITRIS be involved in high-tech? - technical know-how to equip slum areas with wireless internet, - help link hospitals, schools, CBOs ect. via wireless internet into an information sharing network - help design and set up training centers to educate local population in internet and computer use How could CITRIS be involved in biofuels? - current Jatropha varieties have insufficient yield. Must create a ¨super Jatropha plant¨ that provides a high yield even in arid areas. - help improve oil expellers. - engineers can help design small, mobile Jatropha oil refineries. - engineers can develop engines that can run on unrefined Jatropha oil.