A computer specifically for rural Africa

The company will explore, test and provide the following service:

A package available for a regular fee that ensures a computer and its peripheral equipment always works well with clients who live and work in remote areas.

This package includes:
- the computer itself and its peripherals like printer and drives.
- the energy required for operating the computer (if needed also solar)
- servicing of all equipment
- online direct support in case of problems
- fast response that can be called through SMS on mobile phones.

The equipment will remain in the property of our company, it is only rented out. The rent shall cover all the costs of operating the whole package on a commercial basis.

Clients will be schools, community centers, hospitals, private businesses (particularly in the tourist industry and rural service companies), government departments in remote district offices, and possibly also NGOs and village level projects. Our clients can leave the headache of keeping the equipment operational to our company. When the equipment doesn’t work, they don’t pay the rent. If they want to reduce it or leave it, we take it back and redistribute it. If they want to expand we can flexibly upgrade the package with further equipment: “The rent takes care of all of that”. This allows our clients some security for their budgeting and allows for sustainability of their programs.

In order to provide these services, the computers will be specifically designed for coping with the dusty rural conditions and for renting out under these remote conditions. They will be assembled in Tanzania from parts readily available on the market.

The package is modular, ie. can be upgraded or downgraded in a flexible manner to suit the changing needs of our clients.

Internet access is a separate package that can be easily added to this. This is a possible later expansion of this business: Rent out the equipment (and if needed also the required energy through solar or other means) for internet access in a remote area, ie. satellite dish or other access, and the solar energy required to operate it.

Marketing will be mainly through demonstrations, ads-features on the local print media, radio shows, website and conferences/seminars, each aiming for a different set of clients.

A brand-name will be launched that covers the specifically built computers and the package (equipment along with the services against a fixed regular fee). A network of local franchisees will be established along similar lines developed by Sunlabob in Laos. The members of this network have an own interest to do their own marketing in their district, and our company will support them through trainings and materials plus link their local activities with the mass-media efforts of our company.

Mostly our clients will have their own projects, programs, efforts. Our services will be also advertised through their communication channels because of our branding.

Competition is with companies who are selling computers. They are not a concern for us because we know their services do not solve the problems of our envisaged clients. Of more concern are donor agencies who provide equipment without thinking about sustainable operations after the efforts are no longer funded by them. We intend to take care of this through directly pointing out the mistake that they are making.

No rental service for computers and peripherals exists for remote rural areas which cracks the bottleneck of servicing and maintainance. Our service will allow clients to be sure they can operate the equipment for a regular fee that is affordable. The mechanisms of renting allow to operate this service sustainably.

Originally trained in agriculture and extension, I have been involved in rural development projects in Asia, Europe, Africa and to some extent in Latin America since 1982. I have been mostly involved in delivery of government services as well as private service delivery, and in designing Public Private Partnerships. Financial mechanisms for mutually leveraging social investment funds and public development trusts are a further important front that I am working on. Furthermore issues of good governance at local level have increasingly become important, and exploring the required skills to make it happen. I have also been involved in designing and operating learning platforms for peer-exchange learning (www.linkinglearners.net) and the use of ICTs in rural areas (best understood with the market-oriented “First Mile” efforts of IFAD, www.ifad.org/rural/FirstMile). I operate a number of small businesses with friends in the various countries and am involved in designing on-the-job curricula for small entrepreneurs.

The idea for this business emerged out of repeated observation that failing computers had put a brake on rural development efforts. The idea has been tested by asking the involved people what would happen if they knew of a service that would guarantee them a working computer. Invariably they agreed that this would be a service worth paying for considerably. Interestingly government departments indicated that rental arrangements are easier for them to manage because of regular recurring costs as opposed to buying equipment that then has to be inducted into the property of the state. “We have too much broken equipment from earlier projects in our offices for which we don’t have the budget lines to repair”.

Communication and data-management has become a major driver of development for rural areas. This is witnessed by the many programs and projects which experience the lack of reliable computers in their field locations, ie. hospitals and health posts who must manage and forward data, schools and businesses (particularly tourism). Also government departments in remote districts are now required to digitize their data.

It is easy to put computers in such locations. It is much more difficult to ensure that they continue to function. At present a lot of time, energy and effort is lost due to unreliable computers or the lack of computers in rural areas. With reliable computers in such locations considerable savings are made in operating development efforts in those locations where it counts: In the remote villages and district towns.