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Title: Paradigm Initiative Nigeria
Location:
Categories: Technology & Innovation
Status:
In Progress
Timeline:
January 1 00 to January 1 00
Description:
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), which started in 2001 as on onlinevolunteer team with the main objective of connecting Nigerian youths with ICT opportunities, is a social enterprise seeking to help deliver ICT for socio-economic opportunities in Nigeria.
Having worked with government, civil society, private institutions and international organisations, PIN has set standards in ICT education, telecentre support, ICT applications in rural areas, and other ICT4D interventions in Nigeria.
PIN works in five key areas including Consulting, Research, Telecentre Support, Youth-led Social Technopreneurship and ICT Capacity Building. In pursuit of these objectives, PIN delivers assignments and projects that help connect individuals, people-groups, institutions and communities with the socio-economic opportunities that ICTs provide.
PIN staff recently consulted for Harvard University, Computer Aid International and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, among others. PIN's bottom-up result-oriented programs, all of which are delivered in partnership with various institutions and communities, include Ajegunle.org, Creating Local Connections West Africa (a TakingITGlobal project) and CaneVillage.com. An archive of PIN's projects from 2001 to 2005 are available at www.pin.org.ng/old
Background:
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria completes projects that are targeted at relevant communities -- building on the opportunities that Information and Communication Technologies provide. PIN also partners with numerous organisations within and outside Nigeria to deliver bottom-up, solution-driven and community-owned projects. PIN's objective for any project it undertakes is to improve people's livelihoods -- through the appropriate use of ICTs. Some of our projects are profiled below:
AJEGUNLE.ORG
PIN is working with an underserved community synonymous with poverty and crime in Nigeria to apply ICT opportunities in order to create role models, wealth and social value. The project, Ajegunle.org, will follow up on earlier capacity building projects and telecentre support discussions. We believe that having done similar one-off projects in Ago-Are (Southern Nigeria) and Zaura-Babba (Northern Nigeria), we are able to replicate, advance and sustain the new Ajegunle.org project. Featuring a focused train-the-trainer scheme, PC acquisition scheme and telecentre development, the project will reach well-over two hundred youths in the Ajegunle community by December 2007.
Ajegunle is a notorious slum in Lagos, Nigeria, and home to about three (3) million inhabitants from all the tribes of West Africa. A long-time resident describes Ajegunle as: "a place where you watch your back, and keep at the survival game". While the name Ajegunle usually evokes thoughts about poverty and crime, the real meaning of the community's name (when translated in the Yoruba language it is set in) means "filled with wealth" or "a land full of commerce". However, the only near-sign of this meaningful name is the few – very few, actually – young people who have developed a thriving musical career in spite of the harsh living conditions.
A community worker who has reinvested much of his time towards youth development in the community is usually quick to mention the high level of prostitution and other social vices that majority of the Ajegunle youth population are exposed to. We recognize that young people are major stakeholders who can literally redefine the social perception and realities in this unique environment. Considering the fact that thousands of young school leavers are street-hawking or engaged in one juvenile act or the other, and that this happens largely due to ignorance and lack of guidance, we are offering various opportunities provided by Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to connect the huge youth population of this community with life-changing and wealth-creating opportunities.
CANEVILLAGE.COM
A social enterprise initiative of PIN, the CaneVillage.com project is aimed at increasing the business capacity and improving the livelihoods of cane furniture makers in an under-performing artisan market Nigeria; strengthening an existing market and creating new ones by maximizing technology opportunities and leveraging on the skills of Nigerian graduates; and encouraging entrepreneurship and creating employment opportunities for Nigerian youth. In achieving these stated objectives, a series of activities will be organised culminating in establishing a business that will increase demand for cane furniture and in turn increase production capacity of cane village furniture makers (and other cane furniture makers who are interested).
The business name and internet address for CaneVillage.com (Cane Village Enterprises, www.canevillage.com and www.canevillage.com.ng) have been registered by PIN to ensure successful transition in the project's phases. These events will run in three phases, including Business Capacity development, Business Plan competition and Business establishment. The CaneVillage.com project is not just another competition, neither is it just an ambitious project. It is a deliberate multi-phased effort aimed at building a thriving eCommerce enterprise around an age long artisan community.
The project offers a win-win scenario for all stakeholders. While PIN sees this as a potential platform through which its social enterprise principles can be met with technology opportunities; the existing business community will derive multifaceted value (business skills' acquisition, economic growth, increased visibility, etc); and project partners will be able to support the initiative as an investment opportunity. We believe that our partners will find value in the process, and will have the first-comer opportunity to invest in the CaneVillage.com business. Our partners will not just serve as donors but investors with both social and economic returns on investment.
Objectives:
Consulting: With core expertise in the application of ICTs for Development, PIN staff offer over 10 years of result-oriented experience in consulting. We deliver quality outputs for our numerous clients and bridge the gap between expectations and quality delivery.
Research: PIN has delivered comprehensive research assignments on the use of ICT for development (ICT4D); role of youth in ICT4D; ICT Policy and Development; Internet Governance; Telecentre Development; among others.
Telecenter Support: PIN has been a prominent leader in telecentre support in Nigeria, and we helped co-facilitate (and now co-manage) the Telecentre Network of Nigeria. Our Ajegunle.org project also hopes to lead to the establishment of a community-owned and sustainable telecentre.
Youth-led Social Technopreneurship: We believe that young people can combine the powers of technology, entrepreneurship and a strong sense of social mission to answer the various questions that sorround the societies in which they find themselves. We equip youth to create economic value by solving problems through the use of ICTs.
ICT Capacity Building: PIN holds capacity building dearly, and we do not hold lightly the opportunity to help improve the capacity of our clients. From non-profits to professional groups, PIN will deliver customized capacity building assignments.
Contact Name: 'Gbenga Sesan
Contact Email Address: gbenga.sesan@pin.org.ng
Contact Phone Number: +234 1 741 56 25
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