3. Executive Summary
Sauder Africa Initiative (SAI) is a three-week workshop SE101 held in Nairobi, Kenya to teach
entrepreneurship skills to youth living in two slum communities: Kibera and Mathare. The mission
of this program is to uplift the lives of Kenyan youth through entrepreneurship training. The
intention of the program is that participants will uplift their lives by starting small businesses.
We have undertaken a thorough evaluation of SAI’s intended and actual impact on all
stakeholders. A change in leadership at the program level and school level has rendered such an
evaluation appropriate and desirable. Our focus has been on the following questions:
• What are the objectives of the program and the Sauder School of Business?
• Is this program impactful and effective?
• How could the program be improved?
Through discussions with stakeholders and non-profit organizations in both Canada and Kenya,
we have developed three possible options for the future of this program that will further Sauder’s
goal to be involved in Africa. These options are as follows:
1. Expand current approach to offer a year-round, holistic approach to fostering
entrepreneurship (local base, links to mentors, financing) with a physical centre in Nairobi;
2. Apply SAI resources to ARC Initiative and work to accelerate existing businesses (no attempt
to launch new businesses);
3. Work with longstanding NGOs in Africa through high-profile partnerships to benefit Sauder,
students, and NGOs.
Ultimately, we believe a hybrid of all three options will provide the greatest impact for all involved.
DRAFT
5. Objectives for Sauder’s
Engagement in Africa
Sauder School of Business
• Commit to the greatest 21st century challenge – Africa – through engaging in a spirit of reciprocity
and mutuality to result in a net positive social, environmental, and economical footprint
• Continue development into a truly global business school and contribute to accreditation and
rankings through increased global presence and exposure
• Formalize agreements for inter-university partnerships and develop research partnerships amongst
North American and African faculty
• Increase brand awareness in Africa to increase recruitment from the region
Sauder Students
• Provide Sauder students with global experiential learning opportunities and create global citizens out
of Sauder students
• Enhance the employability of Sauder students
• Develop mutually beneficial connections with companies working in Africa that may provide
internships or post-graduation employment for Sauder students
Sauder Alumni / Community
• Generate a sustainable positive net impact as a result of Sauder’s involvement in Africa (on people,
the environment, and society as a whole)
• Connect our alumni and partner agencies in Canada to the work UBC is doing in Africa and provide
a bigger reach and better network for alumni
DRAFT
6. Value of UBC & Sauder
UBC has a number of distinct strengths:
• a non-commercial brand known for world-class research
• a public institution that can go beyond borders in ways other organizations cannot
• a desire to contribute to the public good
• an institution that generates and seeks out new knowledge
• a powerful and extensive network
Sauder can offer value in emerging markets:
• build capacity in management education and business research
• engage MBAs, PhDs, and faculty in a research capacity through inter-university
partnerships and projects
DRAFT
7. Kenyan Development Issues
DRAFT
Designers and volunteers
involved in development
programs typically have
limited understanding of
the local context
Kenyan youth do not find
entrepreneurship
desirable and would
prefer access to formal
employment (but are
unable to attain jobs)
Youth in slums already
receive attention from
many NGOs better able to
address skills essential for
entrepreneurship (i.e. life
skills)
Ongoing presence and
commitment on the part of
NGOs is required to gain
the trust of slum youth
and engage in impactful
development
Lack of access to
financing is a significant
impediment to slum youth
successfully engaging in
entrepreneurship
Nairobi has numerous,
overlapping local NGOs
and innovation hubs in
operation (market is
saturated)
9. Challenges with Existing Program
• Limited control over recruitment process, resulting in a
wide range in participant skills and preparednessRecruitment
• No funding or access to financing provided for participants,
limiting the number of businesses that can be launchedFinancing
• Limited control over post-program to ensure completion of
business plans and launch and growth of businessesFollow-up
• Program is unable to develop / maintain partnerships with
a local presence for only one month out of the yearLocal Presence
• Sauder students have limited understanding of local
context, exacerbated by annual turnover of team membersLocal Context
• SAI has only one small-scale partnership in each location,
but Nairobi has many organizations doing similar workPartnerships
DRAFT
10. Evaluation of Existing Program
Sauder’s
Objectives
for
Engaging
in Africa
Challenges
of Current
Program
Impactful
Program
DRAFT
12. Options Overview
• Expand current approach to a year-round, holistic approach to
fostering entrepreneurship (local base and context, strong
recruitment process, follow up with mentors and financing)
Option 1 – Improve Current Program
• Apply SAI resources to ARC Initiative program and focus on growth
of existing businesses only (no attempt to launch new businesses)
Option 2 – Shift to ARC Model
• Work with longstanding NGOs in Africa through high-profile
partnerships to benefit Sauder, students, participants, and NGOs
Option 3 – Establish Partnerships
DRAFT
14. Initial Hypothesis
Option Scalability /
Sustainability
Internal
Impact
External
Impact
Financial
Requirements*
Total Score
I 2.5 3 2.5 2 10
II 1.5 4 3 3 11.5
III 4 3 4 3 14
Scale:
5 = Best
1 = Worst
* Financial ranking based on a fixed cost
(FC) + variable cost (VC) estimation.
High FC = low score
DRAFT
15. Analysis – Option 1
Improve Current Program
Pros
• Year-round presence
will increase
understanding of the
Kenyan context as
well as increase
Sauder brand
awareness
Sustainability
FinancialExternal
Internal
• UBC students find
the program a
rewarding and
transformational
experience
• Extends UBC’s
reach in the
developing world
• Minimum facility
costs
• Travel costs are
incurred by students
• Donors expressed
willingness to fund
program if success
can be tracked
• Targeting a
neglected group that
is in need of
business education
• Program increases
participant
knowledge and self
worth
Cons
• Year-round presence
will require major
managerial effort
• Many resources,
both capital and
human, will be
required to scale the
program
Sustainability
FinancialExternal
Internal
• Does not use UBC’s
core competencies
• Students are
required to develop
skills (teaching) that
may not be relevant
to professional
careers
• Costly program with
high start-up costs
• Long-term
commitment, with
high exit barriers
• Fixed costs are a
major expense
• Reaching few people
with limited lasting
results
• Successes create
minimal impact (sole
proprietorships with
limited likelihood of
growth)
DRAFT
16. Conclusions – Option 1
Improve Current Program
DRAFT
To achieve the desired scale of impact, the program
requires a holistic model, based on year-round
presence of UBC staff in Kenya and partnerships with
organizations that are able to offer financing and
mentoring.
Sauder students may have skill development in areas
that are less aligned with the core competencies of
the business school, but will be exposed to a unique
global experiential learning opportunity.
Improved recruitment and strong post-program
support (i.e. mentorship and financing) are key to
increasing social impact and thus justifying
investment in the program.
17. Analysis – Option 2
Shift to ARC Model*
Pros
• Participants’ success
can be tracked and
recorded
• Sauder is involved
with many different
businesses and
alumni
Sustainability
FinancialExternal
Internal
• Students are able to
apply relevant skills
learned at Sauder to
solve business
problems (consulting
vs. teaching)
• Use the program to
elevate career
• Low fixed costs,
highest cost is
student travel to
different locations
• Scaling an existing
business has higher
success rate than
initiating a new
venture
• Knowledge transfer
between businesses
and Sauder students
Cons
• Sauder is not
connected to any
foreign academic
institutions
• No clear succession
plan
Sustainability
FinancialExternal
Internal
• Only a few students
can participate in the
program each year
• Cost to travel and
duration of time
away may be
barriers to some
students
• Relies heavily on
volunteers (paying
their own way) to
teach and consult
with businesses
• Volunteers also
commit to funding
program costs
• Impact is restricted
to the city in which
ARC is located
DRAFT
*This analysis assumes ARC is successful in
achieving its goals on internal and external fronts
18. Conclusions – Option 2
Shift to ARC Model
DRAFT
The ARC Initiative’s model is
more closely aligned with
Sauder’s core competencies
and provides students with
strong global experiential
learning
The program is currently
sustainable but is heavily reliant
on specific volunteers for both
human and financial resources
19. Analysis – Option 3
Establish Partnerships
Pros
• Potential for media
coverage of projects
• Association with
high-profile
organizations
• Access to partners’
networks
Sustainability
FinancialExternal
Internal
• Potential for student
involvement in
different projects that
develop useful skills
• Exposure to
international issues
• Potential future
employment
• Any investment
would be shared
with other
organizations /
institutions
• Minimal fixed costs
required
• Partner
organizations
working on large-
scale projects with
strong local know-
how
Cons
• Brand awareness is
shared and may be
diluted (or at risk)
• Loss of control over
strategic direction
and future plans or
growth
Sustainability
FinancialExternal
Internal
• Working for an NGO
may not be as
impactful or life-
changing for Sauder
students as working
directly with local
participants
• Type and extent of
potential required
investment is
completely unknown
• May be limited in
choice of projects
• May not reach
Sauder’s intended
target participants
DRAFT
20. Conclusions – Option 3
Establish Partnerships
DRAFT
NGOPresence
Effective
oversight of
partnerships
requires presence
within the vibrant
and well-
populated Kenyan
NGO community
Impact
Will complicate
SAI operations,
but some form of
partnership is
required if Sauder
is to increase the
impact of the SAI
program
Challenges
Previous attempts
at securing
suitable
partnerships have
been
unsuccessful due
to lack of
perceived
commitment or
misaligned
strategies
22. Next Steps for SAI
Identify
long-term
goals:
where do
we want
to be?
Explain what
preconditions
are
necessary to
those goals
and why
(backwards
mapping)
Identify basic
assumptions
about the
context
Identify the
interventions
our initiative
will perform to
create the
desired
change
Develop
indicators to
measure our
outcomes to
assess the
initiative’s
performance
DRAFT
Apply “Theory of Change”
to the preferred alternative
define goals
and
describe desired outcomes
23. Recommendation –
SAI 1.5 (Hybrid Model)
DRAFT
Sauder can focus on its core competencies in education, while maximizing social
impact by ensuring participants receive the necessary support to succeed
Existing SAI Program SAI 1.5 Hybrid Program
Recruitment of aspiring business owners Recruitment of existing business owners
Presence in Nairobi one month out of twelve Presence in Nairobi year-round
No mentorship or access to financing
provided in post-program
Mentorship and access to financing
provided through partnerships
Focus on teaching entrepreneurship skills for
business start-up
Focus on providing business consulting
services and teaching to grow existing
businesses
Combining Options 1, 2, and 3 will best address the challenges associated with
development in Kenya and provide a strategic direction for engagement in Africa
24. High-level Implementation Plan
DRAFT
Short Term (2014)
Establish local presence
Move program to improved,
more central site
Target recruitment on
current business owners
Establish two key
partnerships to provide local
knowledge and context and
connections to financing
Mid Term (2015)
Establish links with the
Ministry of Youth and
officially license the program
Revisit program structure
and conduct a feasibility
study to examine the costs/
benefits of extending the
program to 3 months with
ample time implementation
time between workshops
Long Term (2016)
Establish partnerships with
local corporations to
sponsor the program
Analyze data collected n
2014, 2015 and 2016 to
evaluate effectiveness of
program and identify areas
for further improvement
