Over the weekend I have the privlege to attend AfricaGathering in DC. What I liked most about this conference was its size: very small and intimate. So many conferences are large, made up of niche group, and difficult to really develop strong relationships out of. AfricaGathering really excelled in creating a TED-like format event, focused on everybody’s passions for Africa, that at the end felt like being part of a family. I really enjoyed the day, and can’t wait for future gatherings!

As I thought about how to express my thoughts from the event into words or a summary, I figured the best way is through compiling my Tweets from the event that capture a live stream of consciousness and quotable moments! Enjoy!

Also, check out this image showing the “How It Works” of AfricaGathering (click it for lightbox effect!):

1. 
   marcopuccia Sitting here at #agdc with @jscarantino and @gkofiannan! #socent 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia “Life is so much more important when you’re not doing it for yourself” – @jscarantino #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia Building communities can go a long ways in breaking barriers and unleashing opportunity @jscarantino #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Africa today, is not Africa of tomorrow – Need long-term horizons when creating programs/platforms @jscarantino #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia Poor local distribution systems are largest impediment to getting vaccinations to where they need to go! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia Poor records lead to vaccination waste and overestimation of coverage. Drives cost up, and impact down. #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia VaxTrac built on same premise as @ITS_LLC: “Better information, greater social impact!” #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia Need accountability systems to make sure vaccines are actually distributed appropriatly -VaxTrac #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
9. 
   marcopuccia Need open-source alternative for fingerprint ID systems…many cross-sector applications! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
10. 
    marcopuccia Can I say Happy World Malaria day? Not sure what the proper etiquette is… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

1. 
   marcopuccia 11.2% – 2008 GDP growth rate in Rwanda /via @kitcody #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia Doing business in developing regions often requires ownership or oversight of entire value chain – @kitcody #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia “Positive change requires positive people” – @kitcody #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Awesome talk by @kitcody! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia LOL Great Q by @chiefmoamba “Who makes those yellow containers? They must be loaded!” #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia Man! Free Blue Sweater books!? I just finished reading literally yesterday! Just my luck lol #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia So far, @acumenfund has invested around $45 million in around 40 companies #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia Curious about how a social business like Iko Toilet changes consumer behavior… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
9. 
   marcopuccia #agdc “We’re shifting to African solutions to global problems,” Catherine Casey of @acumenfund /via @ruackerman 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
10. 
    marcopuccia “Human dignity is more important than wealth” -Catherine Casey of @acumenfund #agdc /via @artate 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

1. 
   marcopuccia I wish I could plug my iPhone into the raw energy and passion at #agdc! lol 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia “Africa Rural Connect an experiment in global collaboration to build ideas” @mollymali #agdc /via @ideasforafrica 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia Man, we had such an awesome discussion at lunch! I feel honored and inspired to be surrounded by such smart and amazing people! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Totally digging what @developingjen is saying about the need to integrate metrics into social impact ventures #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia Mariemme Jamme (@mjamme) doing a great job as co-host of Africa Gathering #agdc /via @gkofiannan Agreed, she’s awesome! 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia “You can’t be credible if you’re not visable” @mjamme #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia I love and am so inspired by the raw passion expressed by @mjamme and others #socent #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia “Dignity is more important to the human spirit that wealth” #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
9. 
   marcopuccia Africa doesn’t need money. We need a sincere relationship – @Mjamme #agdc /via @gkofiannan 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
10. 
    marcopuccia “People who volunteer time first are 7x more likely to donate” – @eglue #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

1. 
   marcopuccia Great presentation by @eglue on leading collaboration into action! Really great! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia Half of the worlds women still give birth without a health worker… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia In parts of Africa, 1 in 7 women die related to child birth… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Mad props to White Ribbon Alliance for bringing women’s rights and maternal health to national and int’l agendas #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia “Think about Africa’s mothers. Think about Africa’s children. Think about Africa’s health workers” #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia Man this is awesome! So energized by Sean Coetzee and his company Woodsmoke! @liveafrican #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia Show people the real faces behind your African products! Transparency sells! @liveafrican #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia “From great need comes great innovation!” – @mikeymckay #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
9. 
   marcopuccia Focusing African ingenuity into high-impact innovation can create disruptive change! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
10. 
    marcopuccia 9 months is avg life of a computer in rural village in Africa, @mikemckay of Baobab Health. #agdc /via @mollymali 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

1. 
   marcopuccia Art and design are both important elements in re-branding Africa… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia “Makmende is bigger than Wikipedia” LOL #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia “Creativity will fuel an economic revolution” -Design Indaba #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Hmmm, I think I found the source of my next desktop background – Digital African Art @digitalafrican #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia Every obstacle is a springboard for creativity – @paulsika #agdc /via @gkofiannan 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia What an awesome person, speaker, and photographer @paulsika is! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia “When you think about business, you have to think about more than the product; You have to think about the ecosystem” – @paulsika #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia Thank you @africagathering for an amazing conference! This is the begining of something huge! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

TEDxAmsterdam: Mark Kamau from TEDxAmsterdam on Vimeo.

This is such an inspirational story by Mark Kamau, a Kenyan who calls himself the “Slumdog Manager”. Born in the poverty of Kenya’s well-known slums, Kamau emerged as a web designer graduating from the NairoBits program. He attributes his success story to four principles:

He was:

• Respected
• Challenged
• Supported
• Given Responsibility

If we apply these same principles of dignity to “intelligent engagement” rather than the traditional concept of “aid”, we will be able to empower Africans to take control of their own destiny.

To promote the empowerment of Kenyan street youth, check out the amazing work being done by a former-street-kid-turned-entrepreneur, Wiclif Otieno and Kito International! Kito’s Maria Springer was just selected as an Unreasonable Fellow as well! Become a fan on Facebook and follow both @WiclifOtieno and @MariaSpringer on Twitter!

00:00 – 01:00 Introduction
01:00 – 03:11 About John Kim and Interest in WorldCupCSR
03:11 – 05:37 Creating Sustainable Infrastructure
05:37 – 07:08 How Did You Decide to Explore This Topic Via Blogging?
07:08 – 10:17 Trends and Major Players
10:17 – 12:43 How Are Sponsors Engaging in CSR?
12:43 – 13:31 Nike
13:31 – 15:03 One Goal Campaign
15:03 – 16:20 Nestle
16:20 – 17:07 MTN
17:07 – 19:13 IBM
19:13 – 21:21 ADIDAS
21:21 – 23:07 Do Firms Look At South Africa or Africa as a Viable Market?
23:07 – 24:44 Why Should Companies Engage in CSR / Cause Marketing Efforts Around the World Cup?
24:44 – 26:32 While in The Global Spotlight, What Does South Africa Have to Gain?

This is a video I’ve been excited about doing since I came up with the idea for my podcast! For the last couple of months, John Kim has been blogging and tweeting about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) around the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa. I’ve been following his writing for a while now, and wanted to invite him to talk on the matter — to help give us an overview of what companies are doing in the CSR / Cause Marketing field surrounding the event!

In our discussion, we covered a lot of ground (hence the length of the video!) and some key points came up:

1. Building sustainable infrastructure around the event. Not just environmentally, but economically! Roads, trains, and the like — things that can last beyond the event and serve to drive forward the country’s economy.
2. Aligning CSR initiatives with the company’s brand! And,
3. The precedent that this sets for the Rio Olympics in 2016 — how should companies engage sponsorship, CSR, and cause marketing in a poverty-stricken country? (Less included in the video, maybe a good topic for future discussion after the event!)

What John pointed out to me was a disappointment that the potential for successful CSR campaigns wasn’t being entirely fulfilled. Now, granted, this could be because it is still early (he made sure to note). But he gave an example of how car manufactures like Kia, for example, could be investing in building roads or transportation infrastructure to help garner greater market share — I think it’s brilliant! There is still a lot to be seen!

John is going to be in attendance at the games, so keep an eye on his blog and twitter for updates and more awesome related content!

• WorldCupCSR Blog
• Follow @WorldCupCSR on Twitter

As always, this video is available through the following sites (subscribe, comment, and rate! Oh, and share!):

• YouTube Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
• Vimeo
• blip.tv
• iTunes

Here’s your Daily Brief for December 8th through December 9th:

Conspicuous Correlation: Coltan and Crisis Reports (via Appfrica) – One of the major factors feeding genocide and violent crimes against humanity is that ruling regimes have established business relations with foreign companies, earning them an political ally and a source of revenue to fuel local conflict. The foreign companies often get exclusive access to local resources in exchange for their unwavering political support and usually a cut off the top. We have seen this in South Sudan with Chinese oil companies, and also in DRC with Coltan mining. This excellent report by Appfrica takes Ushahidi (conflict mapping) data and mashes it with mining data to illustrate the “conspicuous correlation” between the two. Coltan can be found in the capacitors used in your hearing aids, pacemakers, airbags, GPS units, laptops, mobile phones, video games, and the list goes on. 60% of it can be found in the DRC, where conflicts since 1998 have killed an estimated 5.4 million people.

A business plan competition for entrepreneurs that deliver access to clean energy Africa – If you’re an entreprneur working on clean energy solutions for Africa (in particular Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Gambia, Uganda, or Zambia), there is a business plan competition for you! Awards include mentorship, expert advice, consideration for up to $100k in financing, and access to over 100 prospective investors!

The Dragon in Africa: How Chinese Investment Changes The Game (via Triple Pundit) – Interesting question posed: Does China’s appetite for risky investments in some of the most unstable parts of the world (and the investment benefits that come along with it) outweigh its questionable tactics of investment?

Al Jazeera Looks At Investment in Equatorial Guinea

Image Credit: Appfrica Labs

Following my post yesterday on Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), a friend shared with me “The Girl Effect”. I’ll let the video speak for itself!

• The Girl Effect Website
• The Girl Effect Facebook Fan Page

Here’s your Daily Brief for November 18th through November 19th:

Financial and Economic Reports on Each African Country – Courtesy of Wharton Business School (UPenn), a collection of what looks to be final papers covering the financial and economic states of each and every African country.

The Good and Bad of South Africa’s Fiscal Expansion for Investors (via Afribiz) – As South Africa prepares for the World Cup, it’s fiscal expansionary policies bring along both pros and cons.

The World’s Most Intriguing Startups: Innovation in a Downturn (via BusinessWeek) – An interesting collection – check it out! HT: Nathaniel Whittemore

Celebrating the art of the possible (via Kiwanja) – Congratulations to Ken Banks and all who have collaborated on FrontlineSMS for being awarded the Tech Awards for a second time! Intel listed the full list of award recipients on their blog.

Interview with Paul Polak: Over 17 Million Poor Customers Served (via Unreasonable Institute) – Teju Ravilochan from the Unreasonable Institute has been doing some great inverviews that can be found on both the UI website and the SOCAP website. Here’s an interview with Paul Polak, whose book Out of Poverty was one of the first books I read on social enterprise!

Don’t forget to head over to the Unreasonable Institute website, as applications have opened for the upcoming class of “Unreasonable Fellows”!

Here’s your Daily Brief for November 4th through November 5th:

Nokia Launches 5 New BoP Mobile Phones – Nokia has been one of the most successful companies in the world when it comes to tackling BoP markets. They just announced the upcoming launch of Nokia Life Tools, a “service which gives consumers in small towns and rural areas the ability to get a range of livelihood and life-improvement services on their mobile phones,” in Indonesia after a successful pilot in India. Supporting the growth of this new service, Nokia announced 5 new phones specifically targeted at BoP consumers that will support the software.

This Ain’t a Phone, It’s An Arms Race – As mentioned in yesterday’s DB, competition is brewing among mobile phone companies in Africa.

The Informal Sector: Opportunity or Problem? (via CIPE) – One of the challenges facing developing economies is what to do with the informal sector. This post by CIPE offers some nice insight. I didn’t know that informal business accounts for 35-50% of GDP in many developing countries!

Unreasonable Institute Featured in BusinessWeek! – Being unreasonable seems to catch people’s attention! It’s REALLY REALLY hard for any kind of startup to get serious press (especially before they’ve done anything), so this is an awesome feat!

Just for fun:

I saw this video in a blog post on corporate culture and HAD to share it!

Here’s your Daily Brief for November 4th:

Uganda to woo China money for energy, infrastructure (via Reuters) - According to this Reuters article, Uganda is “wooing” China for energy and infrastructure investment.

“Our prime economic interest in China is if they can invest in our processing industry, infrastructure and energy, including nuclear energy, as the president has emphasized in the past. That would be a good partnership,” President Yoweri Museveni’s spokesperson, Tamale Mirundi, told Reuters.

Considering China’s exploitative trade and investment polices, this is troubling. Briefly noted:

The volume of trade between Uganda and China remains relatively small and heavily imbalanced in favour of China.

Uganda imported goods worth $274.2 million from China in 2007 compared with 138.2 million in 2006, according to a Uganda Bureau of Statistics report that did not give export figures.

Also, one of the projects Museveni has suggested is open for Chinese investment is…a modern, high-speed railway? It makes me wonder about, well, priorities…

Mobile phones and magic bullets (via Duncan Green) – The high growth of mobile phones in BoP markets coupled with the growing number of poverty-fighting applications has created strong media interest. Duncan Green from the Poverty to Power blog posted a summary of a recent Economist article, identifying three trends that are reshaping the telecoms landscape.

Dell Social Innovation Competition – Dell Computers and the University of Texas have teamed up to form the “Dell Social Innovation Competition”. They are calling on student entrepreneurs to submit their world-changing ideas. At stakes in $50,000 to put your plan into action.

CK Prahalad Releases Two New Case Studies (via NextBillion.net) – C.K. Prahalad, one of BoB business’ godfathers and author of bestselling book “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid”, released two new case studies: Jaipur Rugs and Bharti Airtel.

“Reverse Trick-or-Treaters” Deliver Fair Trade Chocolate – I don’t know what’s cooler: The idea of Reverse Trick-or-Treating or the fact that 15 year old kids were doing this to promote fair-trade chocolate!

Here’s your Daily Brief for October 28th through November 2nd:

Africa heading for 2009 growth due to China – Can China single-handedly lift Africa above the pressures being imposed by the global economic climate? This Reuters article headlines:

All African economies bar South Africa will grow this year because of China’s demand for their raw materials, a leading South African analyst said on Monday.

African view: What Have the Chinese Ever Done for Us? – Yet this post from the BBC recently taunts the role of China in Africa (particularly in Ghana). While the Chinese are welcomed with open arms by African government leaders anxious to cozy up to the unscrutinizing global superpower, civil society sees right through the murky arrangements of neocolonial proportions.

Essential tools to start a social enterprise (via Martin Montero) – Entrepreneurship is by no means a title reserved for the MBAs of the world. In fact, most of the world’s successful entrepreneurs had no business background at all. I’ve always said, don’t study what you love because you’re passion will quickly be buried by the mundanity of academia.

Starting a business, however, requires a degree of business acumen or the financial backing to pay the experts to take care those things for you. I’m personally a very involved entrepreneur — I swear by writing my own business plans and doing the dirty work involved with launching a venture.

It’s not hard to self-teach if you have the resources available to you. Martin put together this awesome list of tools for social innovators to build their business acumen and skills.

When Great Minds Come Together: ColaLife and FrontlineSMS – I get really excited when I see great minds and great ideas coming together to solve global and social challenges. Simon from ColaLife (one of my favorite up-and-coming nonprofits) published on his blog that he was in talks with Ken Banks and Ben Lyon to talk about integrating the FrontlineSMS platform to verify delivery and payment of ColaLife’s AidPods — I think it’s a great match and I’m glad these two projects were able to find each other!