Vivus has developed a mobile-based sales system that enables women vendors in urban centers to crowd-purchase food staples from temporary wholesale markets. Through their m-sales solution, Vivus helps address food security challenges in African countries by connecting smallholder farmers directly to vendors. They aim to facilitate the yearly collection of at least 5% of crops in Ghana within 5 years and expand their model to other African countries by 2017.

1. IT-enabled Supply Chain for Small Scale Food Produce:
pioneering an M-sales solution in the agricultural sector
http://vivusrenewables.com
s-richard@vivusrenewables.com

2. Vivus enables the m-commerce of food staples
VIVUS has developed a mobile-based sales system enabling women vendors in urban centers to
“crowd-purchase” food staples while we are creating a web of proximity, temporary urban wholesale
markets to revamp the trade of domestic food staples in Ghana, a model relevant for Sub-Saharan
African countries in general.
Through our m-sales solution, Vivus helps African countries meet their food security challenges.

3. Urbanization creates a large market for agro-goods
↗ Africa’s cities are fast growing – 480 million
people now live in cities
↗The market value of Africa’s food staples is
estimated to be US$ 50 billion per year
↗ The export-oriented historical nature of their
economies have led to neglect and to an informal,
inefficient domestic supply chain that creates high
volatility of food prices
↗ Informal vendors (mostly women) dominate the
retail sales to consumers
↗ In the last decade maize prices increased by
900% and that of yam by 375% in Accra
(highest/lowest)
Source: IIED Changing Perspectives
Ministry of Agric stats and author’s analysis

4. M-Brokerage + Efficient Logistics =
A transformative model for agricultural trade in Africa
VIVUS is the pioneer of a model we call ‘mobile + light infrastructure’ which is especially relevant for Africa
– whereby fast mobile penetration prevails along poor infrastructure. With strictly over-the-phone
services now a reality; we are believers that the FULL promise of MOBILE PHONE USAGE benefits could be
further harnessed by undertaking light, chirurgically relevant interventions to boost/valorize
infrastructure.
Just like African Telecom companies had had to set up a physical network of 3rd party payment points
(internet cafés, kiosks) for mobile money transfer services - we are taking this understanding further for
social impact in agriculture.
Our core focus is that we make use of a mobile-based sales system offering DEAL-OF-THE-DAY SMS to
street women vendors. Because we are offering discounted wholesale prices, we investigate the full
supply chain to rid out inefficiencies and this is where infrastructure steps in:
(1) Tapping into underground infrastructure: we take advantage of “nude” soccer fields and uncompleted
houses to set-up a web of proximity, early morning temporary city wholesale markets.
(2) Boosting infrastructure: we source directly from farmers and empower them with “cargo bikes” as
suitable mobility solutions to micro-collect crops.

5. WE enable the m-commerce of food staples
↗ Field agents mobile-register and create profiles of street women vendors
↗ Women vendors receive push SMS with attractive deals on food staples at
wholesale prices and use return calls to confirm orders (crowd-purchase).
Beta solution to be further customized.
↗ Because women vendors can now pre-order food staples, we eliminate waste
as unsold produce along with other efficiency gains shared with women vendors
in the form of the discounted price
↗ Nude soccer fields, uncompleted houses with large yards and car parkings are
all around the city and under-utilized. They will be turned into early-morning
only, temporal wholesale markets for traffic-less, proximity distribution.

6. Making the sales of staples an easier and more profitable income opportunity for
dozens of thousands of women vendors.

7. WE bring affordable cargo mobility to rural families
Cargo motorbikes (up to 2 tons) are affordable and adapted mobility
solutions to collect micro quantities of crops held by smallholder farmers.

8. Rural households carry over 90 tons of fuelwood, water and farm produce within a
distance of 1 km during the course of a year – often by head portage.
A cargo bike will go beyond transporting crops to serve their own daily mobility needs.

9. STARTING WITH GHANA
Setting up an inclusive fruits and vegetables retail
chain in Accra - Ghana

10. The Opportunity for selling food produce
↗ Ghana is a $2.8 billion dollar market for
the 14 main local agric-commodities.
↗ Accra , the capital city is home to 3.8
million people.
↗ Accra stretches a vast area of over 60 km
with just 2 wholesale markets plagued by
traffic (sites for markets have been used for
residential buildings) offering a great
window of opportunity to set up temporal
wholesale markets
MAP OF ACCRA
Source: Wikipedia Accra article
Ministry of Agric stats and author’s calculation

11. Business Model
Two Customer Segments
Women vendors Small Businesses
• N/A (>50,000) • 15,000 food vendors in Accra.
Street vendors account for Hotels, restaurants and chop
14% of all informal non-agric bars.
employment in ghana.
Source: Accra Municipality Stats,
Street Food Vending in Accra Report, WIEGO,
Author’s calculation

12. Operating Model
1. We source in 2 ways: (1) through rural markets and (2) a direct purchasing model with
farmers. For the latter, we identify a village or a cluster of villages where there is intense food
Sustainable production. A lead farmer is designated and farmers join a de facto, non-formalized farm club.
Sourcing The lead farmer aggregates food produce (his kitchen space or house yard acts as the collection
center). Farmers know our pricing offer a day earlier and use cargo bikes to convey the quantity
of produce they are willing to sell this day to the collection center. Trucks then transport the
aggregated quantities directly to our temporary urban markets.
To acquire cargo bikes, we offer to farmers’ a number of affordable finance solutions and
operating mechanisms: a bike-as-a-service center run by village operators OR farmer group
ownership through cash-and-carry, barter exchange vs. staples or leasing made through a
revolving loan fund
Farmers get
a new 2. We act as a "hub" trader of crops in Accra. We offer discounted prices of crops via daily deal-
market of-the-day SMS to street women vendors and set up temporal, proximity markets where they
can procure the crops
Farmers get 3. We weave a country-wide network of farmer-run collection centers’. Coupling the direct
a new sourcing model with our competitive advantages (mobile-sales solution, proximity markets); we
market see a great potential for viral adoption.

13. The Impact we see
5-10% x4 5-10%
in increased income for more efficiency in in increased income and
farmers carrying rural goods social benefits for vendors

14. ABOUT VIVUS LIMITED
(3-times winner of early-stage competitions
for impact enterprises in 2011 and 2012 )

15. Our Ambition
↗ Vision: Energy and Food Security for Every Individual
↗ Mission: VIVUS uses a blend of technological solutions, logistics and inclusive business models
to create new or improve current supply chains related to energy and food distribution in
emerging and developing countries
↗ We facilitate the yearly collection of at least 5% of crops within 5 years in Ghana
↗ We expand our model from Ghana to other African countries before or by 2017.

16. Early Achievements
↗ Company incorporated , corporate office and staff of 2
↗ 18-month market research, feasibility study completed
↗ Piloted the sales of food produce with 8 vendors in Accra (plain vanilla, discontinued)
↗ Key Technical partners engaged (agric-software solutions provider, market awareness partner)
↗ Farming communities identified and already engaged for direct sourcing model
↗ Business plan available
↗ Winner of the SEED Initiative Award (UNDP-UNEP-IUCN), the Fidelity Future Impact Prize
Switzerland, the Orange Africa Social Venture Prize. Finalist/Semi-finalist for 3 other global
competitions.

17. Team
Richard Seshie, Founder and Managing Director
9 years of experience in the social entrepreneurship space: Ashoka Innovators for the
Public India, Innovest Group, Microsoft North Africa and Green Cross Ghana. Worked from
age 11 till 17 in the family-owned food distribution business in Cote d’Ivoire (restaurant and
catering - $ 200 k in annual revenues). Previous founder of 2 social enterprises.
Richard is recognized as a World Economic Forum Global Changemaker Fellow, an
International Telecommunications Union Young Digital Innovator Fellow , a Pearson fellow
for Social Innovation and an Echoing Green Finalist. Bachelor in Geography from the
National University of Cote d’Ivoire, MBA stop-out from Amity University India and
Accredited Corporate Responsibility Professional with the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Nabi Seshie, Developer and Communications Lead
BTEC National Diploma in IT · Software Engineering (Honors') from the Polytechnic of
Namibia and Bachelor in Marketing/Advertising from the National Communication Institute
of Cote d’Ivoire
VAS Intern for Orange Group and Manager in the family-owned food distribution business in
Cote d’Ivoire
Talented additions already identified to be recruited once funding is secured.

18. A strong and committed Board of Advisors
↗ Bah Safo – Renewable Energy Expert , the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency
↗ Gunnar Jürgens (Dr.) - Managing Director, Continental Safety Engineering International GmbH
↗ Kyle Newell – Founder and Principal, the Emerging Market Advisors
↗ Niclas Ihren – Strategic Advisor, Respect-Sustainable Business and Former CEO at Globe Forum Sweden
↗ Sean Weekes – Former Director of ICT for the Department of Transport & Com of the Republic of Nauru
↗ Thomas Hess – Founder of Ghana’s leading web development and internet marketing firm

19. Current Status Integrated
Centers
Non-adapted Collective Rural
mobility Transport System
Unsold produce that
Boost to farmer’s
rot
income
Low income for
marginalized actors Boost to street
vendors
Contact
Richard Seshie,
Managing Director
+233 (0)20 117 10 10
s-richard@vivusrenewables.com
Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.