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The Role of Business in International Development in Africa
Report on a roundtable dialogue held on 17th February 2015 at the Brighthelm Centre, Brighton
A production of Growth International
Publication
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This eBook is a record of a Roundtable Dialogue on The Role of Business in International Development in Africaheld on the 17th February 2015
The Roundtable Dialogue was produced and hosted by Peter Desmond of Growth International (www.growthinternational.com)
The Roundtable Dialogue was designed and facilitated by Nick Price from Of Things Immaterial (www.ofthingsimmaterial.com)
Table of Contents
Introduction
Dialogue Process
Workgroup Findings
Academia and Research
Circular Economy
Consumers
Government
Knowledge and Technology
NGOs
Conclusion
Appendix
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INTRODUCTION
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OverviewThis Roundtable Dialogue was convened by Growth International. It explored the role of business, in International Development, over the next ten years. It had a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
Many companies already undertake projects in collaboration with government, NGOs, business and academia to assist in the relief of poverty across the world. Are there, however, new and more effective ways of working together so there will be less poverty in Africa?
55 people attended the dialogue from a variety of organisations, experiences, and backgrounds. All came with the desire to contribute their energy and share ideas. Their purpose was to identify new ways that business can help solve social problems. Solving these problems by business working better together with other stakeholders.
This brief report summarises the thoughts that emerged from a two-hourdialogue.
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International Development
Academia & Research,
Consumers, Circular Economy
Government, Knowledge &
Technology, NGOs
Business Relationships
Making a Difference
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What would a preferred future look like for collaboration, between
business and its stakeholders, that helps people in developing countries,
in 10 years time?
The Key Question
Areas of Focus and Headlines6 stakeholders / themes / sectors were chosen for groups of around 8 people. Each group considered how relationships with business could be improved to mutual benefit and to assist in the relief of poverty. These are the groups and the key headlines from their dialogue.
1. Academia/Research and Business: A global research hub
2. Knowledge and Technology and Business: A global on-line marketplace
3. Consumers and Business: Sanitation for all by 2025
4. NGOs and Business: Demise of the NGO through convergence between business and NGO sectors
5. Circular Economy and Business: Circular economy achieved in terms of waste and recycling by 2025
6. Government and Business: Creating a business friendly environment
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DIALOGUE PROCESS
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Dialogue Process
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Vision ActionsTimeline & Assumptions
Develop Vision or Preferred
Future
Timeline from Now to
ThenAssumptions
Actions
Today!
WORKGROUP FINDINGS
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ACADEMIA & RESEARCHWORKGROUP
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International Development
Academia & Research
Business Relationships
Making a Difference
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QUESTION
“What would a preferred future look like for collaboration between business and academia & research sector that helps people in developing countries, in
10 years time?”
HEADLINES
Business thinks academia is too theoretical, weak on the practical, can be arrogant/inflexible about their ideas. It also doesn’t communicate in a concise, business friendly way
Academia thinks business is weak at identifying and structuring the problems and / or challenges. It can also be too parochial and short-sighted
“Ask an academic what the weather is like and they will give you a thesis on meteorology. Ask a business person and they will say ‘you had better take an umbrella’”
Given the speed of change and growing complexity there is a need to get out of ‘business as usual’ thinking and a focus on the immediate and short-term. Academia can help business do this.
VISION
“First global research hub receives UN awards”... “Building the new infrastructure a yard at a time”...“Top global companies and
universities set out manifesto to reduce poverty in Africa”
Academia & Research – Preferred Future
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There is a danger in oversimplifying research and the theoretical divide that may follow from closer links between development academia &
research and the private sector.
How can we incentivise collaboration and what new forms of relationship may
emerge from this?
Academia & Research can be a catalyst for
change by bridging the gap between how the world is and how it is
changing
Interpretation of academic works is
required for business
Academia can provide a structure
for business in Development
Move from dissemination to
update and free up both sides from rigidity
Academia & Research – Discussion
Dialogue Notes
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Vision ActionsTimeline & Assumptions
Develop Vision or Preferred
Future
AssumptionsActions
Today!
CIRCULAR ECONOMYWORKGROUP
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International Development
Circular Economy
Business Relationships
Making a Difference
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QUESTION
“What would a preferred future look like for collaboration between business and the circular economy sector that helps people in developing
countries, in 10 years time?”
HEADLINES
Manufacturing in Africa not done elsewhere
Don’t transplant ‘current thinking’ into local manufacturing – start from a different place/different models
Shift needed in culture/ethics by business moving beyond shareholder return and by NGOs in terms of collaboration
VISION
“4g over 85% of Africa”…”Business investments in open education pay off”
Circular Economy – Preferred Future
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Glocalisation – local communities in Africa have their own interpretation of the circular economy. Just transferring the western
way of tackling green issues will not work for local communities: their local culture needs to be taken in to consideration.
Rethinking value chains: local communities need to be empowered to achieve circular economy by
analysing each component through the value chain.
African governments have an important role to play
in supporting the development of local enterprises through
finance, policy & subsidy
Social enterprises with a focus on business
principles such as product life optimisation and triple
bottom line alongside profit maximisation
Western products don’t consider the local
knowledge and needs of Africa leading to problems of waste
Africa has the potential to lead the circular economy by 2025 through bottom-
up scaling of local approaches
Circular Economy – Discussion
Dialogue Notes
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Vision ActionsTimeline & Assumptions
Develop Vision or Preferred
Future
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CONSUMERSWORKGROUP
International Development
ConsumersBusiness
Relationships
Making a Difference
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QUESTION
“What would a preferred future look like for collaboration between business and consumers that helps people in developing countries, in 10
years time?”
HEADLINES
Need a broader definition of consumer
Changes already underway that are shifting the power away from companies to consumers creating a more equal relationship
Consumers are becoming more vocal in what they want of products and a future is envisioned where the consumer is involved at every stage of the product development from design to manufacture
VISION
“ A trusting relationship – business and consumers”... “Consumers take the lead”...”People power”...”First new product totally designed by customers”
Consumers – Preferred Future
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Consumers should take the lead in the form of ‘people power’ and establish a trusting and sustainable relationship with business
If 4 billion people are living on less than $2 a day, can business redefine the base of the pyramid and utilise resources to improve the quality of life of consumers?
Business needs to understand the needs,
priorities and aspirations of consumers
Opportunities at the base of the pyramid should be
made evident to the private sector
Business can educate and engage local communities on their role as consumers to optimise the potential
of small businesses to influence development
Financial performance can be improved by business
working with government & NGOs
Consumers – Discussion
Dialogue Notes
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Vision ActionsTimeline & Assumptions
Assumptions
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GOVERNMENTWORKGROUP
International Development
GovernmentBusiness
Relationships
Making a Difference
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QUESTION
“What would a preferred future look like for collaboration between business and governments (in both the North and South) that helps people
in developing countries, in 10 years time?”
HEADLINES
The key role of governments is to establish the framework(s) for collaboration and the space where investment is encouraged
Global South and Global North need to work together more effectively
Connectivity in all ways is vital and the government can play a key role in ensuring access for all
VISION
“Companies swarm to Africa”… “Africa is the No 1 investment destination” …“People live past 90 years in Africa”...” Last house in Africa connected to the internet yesterday”
Government – Preferred Future
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Governments can create frameworks to enable international business and development investment. African governments can create a stable
investment space and encourage greater inter-country government collaboration.
Lobbying is necessary. Education is a solution. Structure of government is a
problem.
What creates instability in Africa? Corruption?
Short-termism?
Trade is a solution to promote business.
Facilitating international trade at a local level is more granular than a
global scale.
Governments need to create an
exciting and compelling vision
Perceptions need to be repositioned through
social media, PR, trade missions – starting now!
Government – Discussion
Dialogue Notes
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Vision ActionsTimeline & Assumptions
Actions
Today!
KNOWLEDGE & TECHNOLOGYWORKGROUP
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International Development
Knowledge & Technology
Business Relationships
Making a Difference
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QUESTION
“What would a preferred future look like for collaboration between business and the knowledge and technology sector that helps people in
developing countries, in 10 years time?”
HEADLINES
Intellectual Property (IP) is a key issue – businesses may not invest because of fears that IP will be stolen.
IP is a western concept. Africans are more collaborative with an abundance mindset.
With the development of open source, on-line sharing protecting IP may no longer be relevant. It may not be a ‘bad’ thing to steal IP and the ‘fittest company’ survives.
If everything is available and free there is less incentive to ‘pirate’ or to make fake goods!
Technology is outpacing ability to use it effectively – education is needed and to help understand and manage both good and bad effects
Greater and cheaper connectivity is required to enable everyone to leverage benefits of on-line access to markets – there is a substantial digital divide
VISION
“4g over 85% of Africa”…”Business investments in open education pay off”
Knowledge & Technology – Preferred Future
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Create an “Afri-technowledgy Hub” to promote connections, collaboration and knowledge sharing designed for the business
community, professionals, and individual users to allow developing countries to connect with global networks of trust and collaboration.
Need to create a market database that can be shared across the world: connecting local
supplier to global buyer, job seeker to employer, and student to educator.
Intellectual Property Rights should be
deregulated so countries in the Global South can access technologies and
knowledge
Develop new distance learning models using the Internet to expand
knowledge
Challenges: where English is not widely used and where ICT infrastructure not
fully developed
Technology used to meet the learning styles and
life situations of individual students
Knowledge & Technology – Discussion
Dialogue Notes
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Vision ActionsTimeline & Assumptions
NGOSWORKGROUP
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International Development
NGOs Business
Relationships
Making a Difference
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QUESTION
“What would a preferred future look like for collaboration between business and NGOs that helps people in developing countries, in 10 years
time?”
HEADLINES
Not an equal relationship – lack of resources to engage and an imbalance of power
Different perceptions, clash in ideologies…NGOs think businesses are mercenary…business think NGOs are amateurs
Where partnerships are in place they are difficult to scale up
Investments made in particular projects but no financial support to the NGO itself
Growing trend of collaboration and convergence around common issues & concerns… but still difficult
VISION
“CEO of AMREF joins Goldman Sach’s board”...“Goodbye NGOs...last NGO closes its doors today as all trade is now fair trade”…”Top 25 4th sector firms announced”….”NGO and private sector consortium established to wipe out Lassa Fever”
NGOs – Preferred Future
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There is a huge gap in cultural perception and ideologies between business and NGOs. They use different languages and often business see NGOs as incompetent and amateurish. Some NGOs still perceive
business as ‘evil’ organisations.
Opportunities exist for real collaboration between business and
NGOs to foster synergies and convergence in thinking & practice.
Business tends to look at short-term profits rather than capacity
building projects
There is an unequal power balance between
business and NGOs and decisions of NGOs tend to be donor driven
Share stories of successful
collaboration
NGOs should adjust their culture to
collaborate more with business
NGOs – Discussion
Dialogue Notes
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Vision ActionsTimeline & Assumptions
Timeline from Now to
ThenAssumptions
Actions
Today!
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CROSS WORKGROUPFINDINGS
International Development
Academia & Research,
Consumers, Circular Economy
Government, Knowledge &
Technology, NGOs
Business Relationships
Making a Difference
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• Don't use western methods and ways of thinking to solve problems ...build on the natural tendency in Africa to think in terms of abundance not scarcity..scarcity is underpinned by fear.
• Use different mental models, values, frameworks and financial assessment of value.
• Thinking about relationships in terms of power and winning is a zero sum game – the future is about collaboration and win-win.
• Creating more equal relationships in terms of power and influence.
• Complexity and speed of change means get on and try things out – don't wait for a perfect solution or an agreed business case.
• Connectivity at all levels, in all ways and across all sectors.
• ‘Glocalaity’ - expanding from the local to connect at a global level.
• Build on existing good practice, initiatives already underway and learning from them to build a critical mass.
• Find champions at local, regional and global levels and across the sectors.
• Create a future built on interdependence not dependence or independence.
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Cross Workgroup Findings
CONCLUSION
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FeedbackOn the day itself we had the following comments from delegates:
“I found the day inspiring and enjoyable; keen to participate in future events.”
“The hub ideas were excellent.”
“It was regrettable that wasn’t an opportunity to challenge the views of other groups.”
“Nice to see some development talk in Brighton!”
“The dialogue helped me realise that business could potentially be serious about poverty alleviation in Africa.”
“A large section of the NGO community remains naïve about converting the private sector to their world view.”
“Anything is possible with the right people and ideas.”
“The process of working in small groups helped generate new possibilities.”
“Good luck and thank you!”
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Acknowledgements and ThanksI would like to thank the following people who made this event such a success:
To Nick Price for designing and delivering a highly effective dialogue process which produced results well beyond my expectations.
To my co-director at Growth International, Chris Lee, who wholeheartedly supported this rather unusual endeavour.
To my classmates in the MA Managing Globalisation, Business and Development at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University – you facilitated the dialogue brilliantly.
To Pat Cleverly who took some excellent notes of the feedback sessions & flipcharts and managed to type them up on the day.
And finally to everyone who attended – you have helped enormously to take our thinking to the next stage.
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AfterthoughtI had many thoughts after the workshop based on what I had heard from each of the groups, the feedback sheets, emails received afterwards and conversations over lunch. They all started me on the road to thinking about what I feel called to do over the next 10 years on the role of business in international development
One conversation in particular has taken me along a rather surprising track. I have known Steve Mullins for almost 20 years now and we have worked on many different projects together. When everyone had left the Three Jolly Butchers (where some of us had gone for a drink after the roundtable dialogue) Steve and I sat down with another pint of local ale and talked for over an hour.
Over the years, Steve has furnished me with many thought provoking ideas, so I thought he would be the ideal person to ask this question directly, “Steve, if I am going to spend the next 10 years working on the role of business in development, what do you think I should focus on?”.
He answered with one word, “Dignity”.
As I reflected on this in the weeks following the 17th February, I realised that Steve had hit on something worth exploring further.
…………To be continued!
APPENDIX
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Definitions• Academia and Research – an organisation which teaches or researches a subject
• Africa – Sub-Saharan countries (i.e. the continent of Africa excluding countries on the Mediterranean coast)
• Business – a formal or informal arrangement whereby goods and services are traded for cash or other consideration
• Circular Economy – The circular economy refers to an industrial economy that is restorative by intention; aims to rely on renewable energy; minimises, tracks, and hopefully eliminates the use of toxic chemicals; and eradicates waste through careful design (from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation).
• Consumer – someone who buys a product or service from a trading organisation
• Development – the improvement in wellbeing (in the broadest sense) of a person, organisation, country, etc.
• Government – the people and rules through and by which countries, regions, cities, villages etc. are managed
• Knowledge and Technology - the many varied forms of content and process through which development takes place.
• NGO – Non-Governmental Organisation – an organisation which has a social purpose rather than to generate profit for its shareholders
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…there are broadly two economic worlds that cut across the globe, these are the Global North and the
Global South….
…the Global North represent the economically developed societies……While Global South countries
are agrarian based, dependent economically and politically on the Global North…
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL NORTH AND GLOBAL SOUTH ECONOMIES
Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (Volume 12, No.3, 2010)
Global North and Global South
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DelegatesFirst Name Last Name Organisation
Ahmed Mokgopo Institute of Development Studies
Alix Odgers Amref Health Africa
Ana Ferreira da Fonseca Institute of Development Studies
Anna Gerrard Sightsavers
Anne-Marie Harrison Development Squared
Anthea Rossouw Dreamcatcher
Boat Prechathanvanich Institute of Development Studies
Caitlin Blumgart Tomorrow's Company
Catriona Dejean Tearfund
Charley Clarke ITAD
Chihiro Ishida Institute of Development Studies
Chris Lee Growth International
Derek Osborn Whatnext4u
Emma Haughton Generate Partnership
Felicity Morgan MANGO register
Frances Soiza St Mark's School, Hounslow
Fungai Murau Institute of Development Studies
Georgie Kane Maternity Worldwide
Hannah James Institute of Development Studies
Jeremy Woolwich Independent Perspective
Jing Gu Institute of Development Studies
Jocelyn Matyas Institute of Development Studies
Joe Van Wyk ReneSolar
John Humphrey Institute of Development Studies
Juri Hiroya Institute of Development Studies
Katherine Van Wyk Every1Mobile
First Name Last Name Organisation
Kevin Hernandez Institute of Development Studies
Kota Sugimoto Institute of Development Studies
Marco Fiorentini Institute of Development Studies
Marie Hounslow Renewable World
Mark Roberts Jeevika Trust
Martin McCann RedR
Matt Stubberfield Renewable World
Michael Jenkins MetaLab
Mike Streeter All Saints Church, Lindfield
Nick Price Of Things Immaterial
Nobu Yoshida Institute of Development Studies
Pat Cleverly Tomorrow's Company
Paul Herbert Goodman Derrick
Peter Desmond Growth International
Peter Nawa Institute of Development Studies
Philippa Maidment
Pragya Gupta Institute of Development Studies
Rob King Sightsavers
Robert Silbermann Newlands Partnership
Roger Martin Figure Ground
Sandra Akite Institute of Development Studies
Sarah Hopwood Sarah Hopwood FPSA
Stephen Argent UK Gov DWP
Steve Mullins Ascot Associates
Steven Inman Resource Alliance
Tadahiro Maeda Institute of Development Studies
Thuy Vy Institute of Development Studies
William Tomlinson
Yolanda Villafuerte Abrego Tomorrow's Company
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MAGLOB007 @ IDS
The Role of Business in International Development in Africa
Report on a roundtable dialogue held on 17th February 2015 at the Brighthelm Centre, Brighton
A production of Growth International
