The document proposes a pilot program called "VillageLink" in Southern Ghana that would apply GSM technology to the agriculture sector. The program would establish entrepreneurial kiosks in villages, manned by local women, that would provide farmers with mobile phones and a platform to access daily market prices and weather information. This would help farmers conduct transactions without middlemen and empower women economically. The program aims to financially benefit farmers and Ghana's economy while also developing the region through increased education, healthcare access, and women's empowerment. A 18-month implementation roadmap is outlined that would start with a pilot and aim to eventually expand the program nationally and across sectors.

1. [uhuru solutions]
we’ll take you higher
Duke University
Grace Cao
Priyanka Chaurasia
Doug Helferich
Paul Holmer

2. [contents]
context
executive summary
agriculture sector overview
stakeholders and feasibility
user experience
benefits
implementation roadmap
appendix
2

3. [context]
Ghana
> One of the larger countries in West Africa
with a population of 23 million, but low
representation in mobile phones (20%)
>
Political stability, low inflation, stable
currency, and low debt indicating potential
for economic development
Global System for Mobile
communications Association (GSMA)
> Wants an expanded market
> Will implement initiatives that also have
socioeconomic benefits to developing
communities
Key Questions
> How do we apply GSM technology to bring
about sustainable development in Ghana?
> In what industry should we devote our
resources?
> How can we expand this program to
reach more people?
3

4. [executive summary]
The Opportunity:
Double Bottom Line
Develop a pilot program in Southern Ghana to apply GSM
technology to agriculture. This will create a profitable and
sustainable outcome, as well as developmental progress. By
creating an entrepreneurial kiosk system, our pilot program will
eliminate middle men, empower farmers, and increase
agricultural profitability.
Fiscal Returns
>Farmers receive 22%
more revenue for their
goods
>Increase Ghana’s GDP
by $68.2 million
Our Concept: “Village Link”
>Increased value of
Establishing “VillageLink”
kiosks in every village
with mobile phones
GSM technology in
society
Developmental Impact
Farmers can
use phones to
then conduct
transactions
without “the
middle man”
Kiosks will call
every morning to
gather market
and weather
information
>Project Expansion
>Raising the status of
women results in better
healthcare and education
choices
4

5. [agriculture sector overview]
Ghana GDP Breakdown:
Employment Breakdown by Sector:
Key Problems in Agriculture:
Rural farmers not
connected to their
buyers at the market
Lack of
communication,
wasted resources in
travel
Ghanaian agriculture
operating at 20%
potential
Unmet demand,
surplus supply, and
inefficient prices
5

6. [stakeholders]
> Set up and fund existing
infrastructure
> Ensure adequate service.
> Support network for
women
> Provide cultural
Association of Women in Development Experts
liaison
> Disseminate market
information
> Train women
> Carry out local IT
development and
training
> Provide $22M for
developmental
impact
Aanimus Fund
Ministry of
Finance
6

7. [feasibility]
Bangladesh Case Study:
>
Grameen Phone
founded in 1996
>
Women borrowed phone kits and
expanded rural cellular connectivity
>
2008: ~$1 B revenue and the largest
telecom provider
>
255,000 village phones in 55,000
villages
Applications to Ghana:
>
>
>
Heavy reliance on agriculture
Similar GDP per capita
Already existing GSM coverage
GSM coverage
>
Matrilineal society in Southern Ghana
>
>
>
>
Women control markets
Have high level of autonomy
Have control of money
Assert authority in business realm
7

8. [user experience]
[feasibility]
>
The pilot program will provide an easy-to-use interface
for farmers who are unfamiliar with technology.
>
Women will provide the phone and market information.
They will guide farmers on use of the phone.
>
Farmers, fishermen, and villagers will arrive at the kiosk
and compare the market prices with their products.
>
Coordinate supply & demand and act as a price check.
>
A transfer of goods will occur, resulting in the reduction
of a “middle man” and any lost profit and thus, an
empowered villager.
8

9. [benefits]
Financial Benefits
Soft Benefits
>
$4.4 million added to Ghana’s GDP
from pilot program, up to $68 million
total after full program
> Women’s empowerment: According to a
>
Implementation leads to 22% increase
in agriculture prices
>
Market and price stability for farmers
1989 study by Blumberg, women more
than men are invested in education and
healthcare, and make more informed
decisions about issues that affect the
well being of the whole household
> Better decisions for healthcare and
education: better hygiene and less
instances of infectious disease
> Market prep for further GSM rollout:
Positive economic effects of cell phones
--> increased demand of cell phones,
generates buzz about GSM
> Reduction in air pollution through use of
natural gas generators
> Sustainable development in future years

10. [implementation roadmap]
Develop
Coordination
Strategy
Distribution
and training
May 2009
Present
> Determine
s not c A
i
>
revenue
collection plan
with ADME
Coordinate data
processing with
12 Tradenet
representatives
bar evl e D
i
>
payments and
revenues for
pilot program
Identify
partners and
organization for
easy expansion
June 2009
> Advertise
> Determine
>
>
>
>
> Categorize
Implement
Pilot
Program
through AMDE
Distribute
phones to 60
women
Implement
training
program in
Accra
Maintenance
plan
> Reduced need
>
for in-field
support
Effective
advertising
results in village
interest and
support for
VillageLink
>
locations
Monitor
execution
Introduce
generator
technology
> Individuals
>
subscribe and
become
entrepreneurs
Market network
streamlined
Review and
evaluate
Expand
Offering
Month 1-18
> Progress
>
checkpoints at
months 1,
6,12, and 18
Monitor
execution
> Evaluate
>
financial results
to determine
anticipated
revenues for
expansion
Identify
problems to be
addressed on
larger scale
After Month 18
> Regional decision to
>
>
abort or continue
Expand coverage to
North Ghana
Approach additional
partners for
expansion across
Africa
> Expand program to
>
health, banking, and
energy sectors
Increased GDP for
future endeavors
10

11. [appendix]
11

12. [cost breakdown]
12

13. [detailed financials]
Months
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
NPV
Phones
$
9,000.00
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$9,000.00
Generators
$
30,000.00
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$30,000.00
Misc.
$
4,500.00
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$4,500.00
Airtime
$
5,400.00
$ 5,400.00
$
Training
$ 100,000.00
$ 10,000.00
NGO Staff
$ 108,000.00
Tradenet Staff
$
Tradenet Infrastructure
$36,422.92
$ 10,000.00
$ 10,000.00
$157,449.85
108,000.00
$ 108,000.00
$ 108,000.00
$728,458.36
72,000.00
$ 72,000.00
$ 72,000.00
$485,638.91
-
$
-
$
-
$100,000.00
-
$
-
$
-
$6,000.00
$
5,400.00
$ 10,000.00
$ 10,000.00
$
10,000.00
$108,000.00
$ 108,000.00
$ 108,000.00
$
$ 72,000.00
$ 72,000.00
$ 72,000.00
$
$ 100,000.00
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
Maintenance
$
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
Costs
$ 434,900.00
$195,400.00
$ 195,400.00
$ 195,400.00
$
Previous Phones
per 100
New Phones
per 100
Difference
Percent
Change in GDP
Addition to GDP
0.00013
$ 4,425,641.00
Pilot Program
6,000.00
32.479
32.504
0.02564
$
5,400.00
5,400.00
72,000.00
5,400.00
195,400.00
$
5,400.00
$ 195,400.00
$
$ 195,400.00
$1,557,470.04
13

14. [other strategies considered]
Health
Energy
Mobile Banking
>Health sector kiosks
>Communication between doctors and
>Coordinate transportation to save
>Ease of emergency contact for
through clean energy sources
>Use minutes as currency
>Saves travel cost and energy
>Ease of communication and
pharmacists
patients and doctors
>Doctors can access individual
health information quickly
>mHealth initiative
>AIDS in Ghana: 3.6% occurrence.
Much lower than..
>Malaria accounts for 44% of
outpatient hospital visits
>Opportunity to increase
efficiency
>This model would be significantly
more expensive and potentially not
sustainable. Revenue from the
agricultural kiosks combined with
higher spending from female
homemakers will result in health
improvements.
costs
>Powering cellular infrastructure
>Member of the Renewable
Energy & Energy Efficiency
Partnership since 2002
>Goal to expand electricity to 800+
additional communities by end of
2009
> 5,000 megawatts of new
power generation and
improved transmission
lines
checking of bank statements
>Improves fiscal responsibility
>Tried in many countries,
successfully
>This plan would be better
implemented after further
economic development and an
increase in personal wealth.
>West African Gas Pipeline
>This model would not provide as
much social impact as the
agricultural sector and can be an
additional implementation in the
long term
14

15. [sources]
WOMEN AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Beatriz Armendariz de Aghion and Jonathan Morduch, The Economics of Microfinance, The MIT Press, June 2005. Chapter 7- Gender. pp.170-199.
Anne Marie Goetz, “Who takes the credit? Gender, power, and control over loan use in
rural credit programs in Bangladesh,” World Development, 24(1): 45-63.
Bruck, “Millions for millions.” The New Yorker, October 30, 2006. <http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/30/061030fa_fact1>
TRADENET
"ECAMIC Project - Using ICTs Innovatively To Promote Market Access For Farmers." Remixing the net for social change. Netsquared.org.
WOMEN IN GHANA
1994 "Onions Are My Husband: Survival and Accumulation by West Aftrican Market Women." University of Chicago Press
PREVIOUS MODEL IN KENYA
"By facilitating the flow of information between small-scale farmers and commodity markets, Adrian Mukhebi is increasing farmers’ negotiating power and
improving rural food distribution and household food security." Ashoka Fellows. Ashoka.
GRAMEEN MODEL
Dr. Don Richardson, Ricardo Ramirez, Moinul Haq
Telecommons Development Group
March 2000
http://www.telecommons.com/villagephone/contents.html
Corbett, Sarah. “Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?” The New York Times 13 April 2008
Boadi, Raymond et al. “Preliminary Insights into M-Commerce Adpotion in Ghana.” Information Development 2007, 23:4.
CIA World Factbook: Ghana, Bangladesh
Slater, Don and Janet Kwami. “Internet and mobile use as poverty reduction strategies in Ghana.” Information Society Research Group June 2005.
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