Meet the Entrepreneurs
Afroes November 2013
Mobile Innovation
CONTACT INFORMATION
afroes
Inspire youth across Africa with a message of possibility and pride Anne Shongwe, Founder, South Africa
CHALLENGE Africa needs to address a number of challenges if it is to achieve widespread development that benefits everyone. For example, in the case of South Africa, gender-based violence, and crimes against children are major problems affecting the whole society. Young Africans often feel disempowered and do not know how to act and where to begin. Moreover, when referring to modern technologies, most of their cultural references come from Western countries. There is a strong need to get young people closer to their African heritage and engage them with issues of importance to society through instilling messages of hope and possibility.
“THINK ONLY OF MONOPOLY: AFRICAN YOUTH GROW UP LEARNING ABOUT CITIES AND SIGHTS IN THE UK, BUT THEY ARE NOT TAUGHT AFRICAN REFERENCES.”
IDEA Inspired by her experience as a UN employee, Anne Shongwe, the founder of Afroes, came up with the idea of using mobile technologies to raise awareness about social issues among African youth, to educate them to take action, and at the same time, bring them closer to their African heritage. In 2008, she decided to conduct research on the topic, which led her to discover an entire community engaged in creating games to develop social skills. In 2009, she started collaborating with a group of Africans from Oxford University on how to market such games and device compatibility. In 2010, Anne was contracted by the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund to build a game on child protection, later called Champ Chase. At the end of 2011, Afroes was approached by UN Women to build a game around gender-based violence, known as Moraba. Afroes won the 3rd prize at Dragon’s Den during the 5th Global Forum on Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship held in June 2013.
Pretoria, South Africa
+27 824147112, +254 721 74663 anne@afroes.com
www.afroes.com
Pages/Afroes-Games/185317804821699
@afroesgames
BUSINESS MODEL Afroes’ mission is to inspire the conversations and choices of young Africans through branded digital media and socially responsible campaigns rooted in the African content. It creates African mobile applications and tools for development agencies and other organizations keen to spread educational messages across the continent. It currently offers four different games, which users can download for free: two on environmental protection (Haki 1 and 2); one on gender-based violence (Moraba); and one on child security (Champ Chase). So far, Afroes financed most of the development of its games through funds and grants, for example from the Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation, UN Women, or the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. However, Afroes also sells licenses for its games to private companies (such as Nokia or Vodacom), international organizations, and governments (such as the Ministry of Education of Kenya), and thereby not only increases its user base but also generates revenue. The licenses are bought for a fee, which Afroes negotiates with the respective partner. Moreover, reports with in-depth information on users and their behavior are sold to those partners. For the future, Afroes is thinking of new models to guarantee a sustainable, long– term business model: besides expanding the number of partnerships, Afroes aims to complement revenue generated through licensing with a subscription-based model.
“AFROES STANDS FOR AFRICAN HEROES AND HEROINES.”
www.infodev.org
twitter: @infoDev
ENTREPRENEUR’S INSIGHTS
NEXT STEPS
WORKING WITH mLab SOUTHERN AFRICA AND mLab EAST AFRICA
Increase user base • BELIEVE IN YOUR IDEA: If you are convinced that your business idea works, do not be afraid to go after it. • GET TO KNOW THE MARKET NEED: Conducting extensive research will help you understand if your idea will work in reality.
Anne started working with mLab Southern Africa, and since 2013 also gets support from mLab East Africa.
Expand list of games Identify and validate a long term business model
• mLab SOUTHERN AFRICA OFFERED ESSENTIAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT at a crucial stage of the business. This included office space, progress mapping, and joint identification of challenges and opportunities.
“THE mLab IS A HOME TO US NOW.”
• TRY OUT DIFFERENT BUSINESS MODELS: Only by testing different revenue models, you will understand what works and what does not.
• mLab EAST AFRICA PROVIDED TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING, including one-on-one mentorship, coaching, and technical lectures.This way Afroes is given access to key information and is able to take the right decisions in decisive moments.
KEY OUTCOMES VALUE FOR USERS Raise awareness: Afroes raises awareness among individuals on the importance of preventing gender-based violence, and promotes child protection and environmental rights in Africa. Provide solutions: Afroes aims to educate and empower individuals to take action. Especially, Moraba encourages reporting, testimony, and individual interventions on gender-based violence. Change the mindset of young Africans: Afroes challenges people’s attitudes on gender stereotypes, social norms, cultural practices, and peer pressure. Create a strong connection between African youth and Africa’s heritage: Through its gaming approach, Afroes actively engages Africa’s young people with Africa’s culture.
BUSINESS FACTS CONTRACTS SECURED GEOGRAPHICAL REACH
10
(6 in South Africa, 4 in Kenya) mostly urban areas
USERS REACHED
560,000
JOBS CREATED
9
Supported by:
www.infodev.org
twitter: @infoDev
180,000 Champ Chase (South Africa) 285,000 Haki 1 (Kenya) 38,000 Haki 2 (Kenya) 58,500 Moraba (South Africa)
2 in Nairobi 7 in South Africa (2 developers, 1 graphic designer, 2 content managers, 1 researcher, 3 business development and marketing)