OP-ED: EBAgroPamoja App – Africa’s first-ever wealth creation tool developed by youth through innovative volunteerism, By Richard Munang, Steffi Maingi and Gideon Kitili

“A single bracelet does not jingle” – this African proverb contextualises the key ingredients of inclusive wealth creation that Africa urgently needs – which is that wealth cannot be created through one or few sectors, but by convening complementary strengths across multiple sectors and disciplinary backgrounds towards maximising the productivity of sectors with comparative advantage. Africa’s catalytic sectors are sectors in which Africa holds a comparative advantage in them  compared to the rest of the globe such as natural resources.

Second, they are economically inclusive i.e engaging a majority in the continent including through forward & backward linkages to other sectors that are ancillary to them. The implication is that maximising the economic potential in these areas will create income opportunities for the majority and enhance inclusive wealth creation. Third, they provide the shortest route to solving multiple challenges – climate and socioeconomic – in one go.

Decentralizing clean energy where Africa also has a considerable comparative advantage – being the best solar resource on the planet – to power agro-value addition such as preservation and processing in agriculture stands out as most strategic. As an example, in Kenya, linking solar driers to tomato farmers will be converting $20 million worth of postharvest losses (PHLs) every year into enterprise opportunities. For maize, we are talking of $200 million in Kenya alone. Looking at Africa as whole, we are talking of recouping $48 billion each year across multiple value chains.

On solving multiple challenges at once – a solution in recouping postharvest losses will spark a chain reaction in terms of solutions across multiple other areas. First, it will mean better health as better nutrition is the first line of defence against diseases. Eliminating losses means more food available to nourish more people. Second, decentralising clean energy to add value to agriculture brings in manufacturing – which will create jobs and put more money into people’s pockets. With more money, people can afford better housing and better healthcare as well.

This is a cascade of benefits achievable through the entry point of just two sectors – clean energy and nature-based agriculture. And all this could be achieved without adding on to aggregate emissions leading to climate change which is projected to erode up to 75% of economies across Africa. This cascade of benefits requires the input of multiple actors complementing skills across disciplines – be it agriculture, clean energy and engineering, transport logistics, administration, marketing, law, amongst other key areas.

On  February 4, 2019, EBAgroPamoja Application was born – becoming Africa’s first-ever connecting the dots app developed by Kenyan youths in  barely in their 20s. This web and mobile application facilitates cross-disciplinary collaborations aimed at maximizing Ecosystems based Adaptation Driven Agriculture and linkages to Clean Energy and right up to markets. The EBAgroPamoja application, connect the dots along Kenya’s agro-value chains to unlock opportunities across multiple sectors and disciplines. EBAgroPamoja leverages the virtual space to create opportunities along the agro-value chain that can be tapped by actors across multiple disciplinary backgrounds. Its basic premise is that challenges are disguised opportunities for solution bearers – but that these two polar opposites must be brought together.

EBAgroPamoja is that bridge between challenges and solutions – specifically in the agro-value chain. It unlocks a holistic dimension and links agriculture to ancillary areas such as clean energy to power, value addition, transport/logistics and consequently to consumer niche markets, among climate, health and environment conscious consumers who are increasing to fuel demand and training to re-tool skills among people, and especially the youth, to engage in these interrelated areas. Cumulatively, this holistic paradigm created by EBAgroPamoja is on track to reverse postharvest losses (PHLs) – amounting to $500million in Kenya and convert these losses into food secure homes and enterprise opportunities across multiple sectors.

What it takes

A major highlight has been its development – where youth through the spirit of EBAFOSA Innovative Volunteerism driven by passion and an ambition to make their skills count came together through structured guidance and selflessly complemented their skills in ICT, marketing, clean energy and the agro-value chain to come up with this  first-ever novel tool. This is, in itself, a game changer – proving to youth that the biggest leverage they have is perfecting their skills and working selflessly in complementary collaborations targeted at the low-lying fruits that is connecting solutions along Africa’s agro-value chains.

They are tapping into a trillion-dollar opportunity while solving a priority continental problem. Even more appealing is the fact that such youth will be structurally guided through a continental inclusive framework i.e the EBAFOSA Innovative Volunteerism – free structured guide to leverage skills for climate action enterprises by tapping the agro-value chain, which is available to all.

Conclusion

“Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit” – this African proverb underlies the argument of wealth creation for the youth that EBAgroPamoja is demonstrating. Challenges are disguised opportunities – where the challenge of one actor, provides an enterprise opportunity for another who has the solution. But it doesn’t stop here. This is tied to addressing productivity maximisation challenges in an area of comparative advantage to provide the shortest route to global competitiveness for Africa.

All this undertaken not at the expense of the environment – especially considering that climate change and environmental degradation stands to erode 75% of economies across Africa, to wipe out hard-earned benefits. And most importantly, applying skills in complementarity is the only premium. EBAgroPamoja is a game changer for Africa’s development under the changing climate – including every citizen to participate in baking a bigger cake for Africa – to the benefit of present and future generations.

Dr. Richard Munang is currently the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Africa Regional Climate Change Programme Coordinator. He tweets as @RichardMunang; Mr. Robert Mgendi is an Adaptation Policy Expert at UNEP. He tweets @RobertMgendi while Steffi Maing, the  founder of an EBAgroPamoja enterprise which connect the dots and provide agro-industrialization solutions, is an EBAFOSA innovative volunteerism volunteer. The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the institution with which they are affiliated; neither the editorial policy of African Newspage