PIN PROJECTS

Paradigm Initiative Nigeria undertakes projects that build on the development opportunities that Information and Communication Technologies provide. PIN partners with numerous organisations within and outside Nigeria to deliver bottom-up, solution-driven and community-owned projects -- especially in communities where ICT solutions can make tremedous impact. 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:



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 is built on a positive peer pressure model that allows the success of participants to greatly influence their peers.

Ajegunle is a notorious slum in Lagos, Nigeria, and home to about three million inhabitants from many West African tribes. 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 its Yoruba language) means "residence of wealth" or "a land of commerce". However, the only signs of this meaningful name is the few – very few, actually – young people who have developed a thriving sports/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 to which the majority of the Ajegunle youth population are exposed. We recognize Ajegunle's young people as 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 is aimed at increasing the business capacity and improving the livelihoods of cane furniture makers; 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. The primary objective of CanVillage.com is to create a business that will, through an eCommerce platform, increase efficiency and profitability for cane village furniture makers.

The business name and internet address for CaneVillage.com (Cane Village Enterprises and www.canevillage.com) have been registered by PIN to ensure successful transition in the project's phases. The present event 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 admirable but struggling 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 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.