Circularities for Insurance

The informal sector of Ghana covers a very large fraction where almost 80% do not have any insurance or are unable to cater for their basic need after they have gone out of work are are strikes by any shock or stress. Bearing in mind the vulnerability of these people, one aspect of their daily lives which has not gained much attention is the fact that waste they generate daily have inept value which could be an important income generator which will cushion them in times of their needs. Sadly, these waste are poorly managed posing huge environmental threat which further widens the vulnerability. At 0.47kg per capital waste generation, each individual generate averagely 150,000kg in his lifetime out of which about 120,000kg is recyclable, compostable or recoverable. This translates to about GHc80,000 which is enough to take care of their wards education, healthcare and social insurance. Greener Footprints proposes a circular model of managing waste such that, a contribution is made ahead of time to cater for irregularities, unforseen circumstances and external shocks that usually entangle people working in the informal sector. Steaming in the 5Ps of the Sustainable Development Goals, The tech-enabled solution will manage effectively and efficiently waste generated in our environment, create employment for pickers and workers in our facility especially women, increase income security and promote environmental health.

Waste management has been a shackle around the necks of city authorities in Ghana posing huge threat to human health particularly children. Government has expensed millions to deal with this menace but it has still prevailed and increase budget of most local authorities. Whiles countries are gradually shifting to a circular economy, it appears less implemented in Ghana. Waste generated has value and can be diverted into resource streams such as compost, renewable energy options, arts and crafts and substitute for most nature-robbed materials. In assertion, waste generated by each individual when we'll managed can be generate dividends that are creditable to them to further lessen their vulnerability. For the informal sector, this can mean a social insurance which they can rely on whiles their most suffered recompense of poor waste management will be paid off. It is agreeable, that the value of waste is largely unknown to many leading to it's poor management. We believe that, this solution will reveal the relevance of waste leading to conscientious management of municipal solid waste.

Although the solution is set to benefit society at large, the informal sector of the economy will be the center of this solution. It is seen that these people gain less from their work and are unable to save much for their retirement or even take care of their health and that of their dependants. While waste they generate can be other source of income for them, our organization creates a scheme that circularize their waste and credit it to their account to lessen their future shocks and stresses. A proper engagement with potential beneficials of the solution reveals that they are most likely to patronize the service after considering their values and norms and making it more transparent and understandable to them. They are and will remain part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project to see that it's intended benefits are optimally realized.

In the informal sector of Ghana people earn very less, most of which are used to take care of their basic needs and much more difficult to take care of unforseen circumstances such as disasters, illnesses, need to take care of education of their wards, savings is very less. Our solution creates a safeguard for informal sector workers to insure their future with solid waste they generate. Their returns are payable into their bank account upon successfully reaching their  premium and is retrievable anywhere in the West Africa Region since the primary document for registration is the ECOWAS card.

The solution leverage on technology that is applicable to literate and illiterate population. First and foremost, it creates an account for users with their database of waste they deposit with us from time to time with their primary required document for registration being the ECOWAS card. Their various households are mapped using Geographical Positioning Systems which are communicated to us anytime they want us to pick up their waste. Upon picking the waste, it is valued and customers swipe their card onto our mobile machine and quickly credited into their account.A small fee for transportation of waste is charged from the customer from their mobile money wallet while our organization bears the cost of recovering waste and selling recovered items.Their account is credited until they reach their premium to be able to enjoy an educational insurance policy which covers their three wards, a health insurance policy or a social security as per selected during registration. Our major competitors are ZoomLion Ghana who pays recovers material from waste but do not pay anything to their customers. We have a competitive edge over them since we leverage on GPS to quickly locate and collect waste, ability to draw more customers due to the packages they enjoy as well as easy payment option with their mobile money wallet. Also, customers who do not have access to smartphones are allowed to use our USSD platform which is easy to operate and available on roaming or across boarders.

The solution builds on the successful implementation of waste banking in Indonesia as expatiated in the article in this link https://www.researchgate.net/p.... However, it moves step from payment on collection to safeguarding futures of informal sector workers  and providing packages that will support them provide essential basic services for themselves and their families. The solution employs the use of Geographic Positioning Systems and mapping techniques in applications that used in applications and USSD. It connects customers to their bank accounts and enable access to finance once customers reach their premium even if they are outside Ghana due to the use of the ECOWAS card as primary document. 

The knowledge of the resource aspect of waste has largely remained unknown to most people. With our solution that creates a value chain for solid waste, people are conscious about discarding waste because they are incentivised for their financial security. It is envisioned that the solution will improve access to education for wards of informal sector workers thereby improving the human resource capacity of the country to support our efforts to achieve sustainable development. As the solution is set to promote environmental wellness, it is probably going to leave greener footprints since the impact of waste on climate change will be reduced. The solution will create employment for women and youths especially improving income generation and creating direct and indirect employment along value chains of our production lines. Ultimately, the project will create a safety net for informal workers to participate in flexible social insurance programmes and toughen their skins to crisis, shocks and stressers. The solution will reduce drastically expenditure of government and local authorities on waste management to be channelled towards productive ventures and infrastructural development that promote development of the country.

While most West African countries suffer to manage waste more efficiently, this project can be scaled up or duplicated in other countries to absorb waste and treat them while rewards can be provided to informal sector workers on the form of flexible social insurance for them. It will build resilience of impoverished people against shocks and stresses. Properly integrating the West African Identity Cards into this model will foster ease of settlement for migrants and displaced people. 

The use of ECOWAS card allow one to still draw from their insurance even when they are outside Ghana. Also, since their insurance is integrated into their mobile money wallet, it makes it easy to withdraw without much stress wherever the client might find him or herself. Also, the use of software and application make it easy for customers to monitor their contributions and request for services anytime they want to. Without putting off illiterates and people who may not have access to applications and softwares, the use of USSD makes it easy for them to also use the platform.

The solution allows for interoperability between customers mobile phone, bank account and swipe cards. The solution connect our clients to be able to withdraw using their mobile money wallet at the convenience on their phones and connected to their bank account and cards which is interoperable with little banking charges.

With about 34.47 millions of the Ghanaian having access to phones, the solution can widely penetrate. Since it will be household based, the average of almost every household possessing a mobile phone proves that the solution will be widely utilized. That notwithstanding, the illiterate population is much though of and the provision of our service on USSD enabled platform will make sure they are also served and are not cut off.

The solution is positioned to serve a population of 200,000 in the first year, increased to at least 1,255,000 by the end of the 5th year

In the next five years we look forward to:

Minimizing to the barest level, poor waste management with the realization of waste as a resource by diverting 70% of waste to resource streams. This will be achieved by continuous improvement of our processes and research on various forms of waste and what resource could be created out of it.

Providing safety net through our social insurance programmes that absorbs educational and Heath needs of informal sector workers.

Create 300,000 direct and 1million indirect jobs for people within the country.

Developed a replicable model for Implementation in other parts of the country and West African region.

Financially, we remain handicapped since the solution will require technology that can absorb the amount of waste we intend to recover. There are likely to be legal barriers especially in our quest to scale up to other countries.

Wr shall recoup all revenue back into the initiative to make it a distance one since much of our customers will not have reached their premium by then. Also, we will leverage on partnership with government to enjoy some exemption and infrastructure that would have increased our financial burden.

In our quest to scale up to other countries, we will leverage on the goodwill of The World Bank with these countries to discuss possibilities replicating the project in the countries and how we can work together with governments to achieve the intended results for the project.

Full Time Workers 6

Casual Workers 15

Part Time Workers 15

The team is built on diverse competencies and gender balance to deliver this solution. Mr. Benjamin Agyin TURKSON, the lead for this project is an environmental enthusiast with background in Development Planning and MPhil in Environment and Resource Management. He has implemented several environmental initiatives and has worn the prestigious Regional University Forum Young Innovator Award and Humanitarian Ghana Award. He comes in with a mixed of stakeholder engagement in implementation of community based circular economy projects. Mr Stephen Kuutige is an Accountant with strong background on Finance and his ability to make sound financial judgement while supporting organization and compliance with budget build on the strength of the team to well work within budget. Justina Addae comes in with her mixed gender specialities and ability to manage human resources to execute tasks and responsibilities. Our IT support, Michael Ofori Appiah also has strong app development competence that will be an addition to our team's strength. Miss Benedicta Ohene is also a mapper and GIS specialist whose many strengths complement the mapping and geospatial component of the project.

Our main partners at the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology Innovation who act as the lead agency for environmental initiatives in the country. They provide guidance, ground support and technical support that is necessary for the projects success. We also work with Environmental Non-governmental Organizations like Green Africa Youth Organization who plays lead role in climate education and activism to aid in the sensitization of the people and laying good grounds for the success of our project. The Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit is also a key partner at the local level leading us to important stakeholders like the District Assembly, Traditional Council and Member of Parliament and local Agencies instrumental to our operations.

We provide value for customers by our transparent social insurance programmes that safeguards the education and health of their families while providing retirement package for them. Our key customers are informal sector workers who earn less and are not able to adequately save some of their earnings for future shocks and stresses. Through our project that promotes curculrities of waste they generate, we produce composts, animal feeds, charcoal briquettes, plastic arts, particle boards and pellets and trade other recyclable wastes to authorized recyclers. Returns from the sales of these items are used to pay for all production costs and a percentage being credited to account of our customers until they reach a premium for their policy they enrolled on. Customers cater for cost of transportation while our firm cater for cost of recovering waste and sales of recoverables. Policies such as the Educational, Health and Retirement Policy are set to provide safety net for informal sector workers through an interoperable medium  where they can withdraw their benefits.

The initial cost of equipment procurement and facility setup will be tthrough continuous efforts to raise funds from grants. There after, cost of transportation of waste will be continually borne by customers while production cost of recovering waste will be borne from sales of products recovered. While the earlier five years will focus on significantly recouping returns into the operation to make the business firmly grounded, we anticipate that premiums will not be paid in this year. Subsequent years' returns will be used to pay for benefits of our customers.

Raised US$2000 for briquettes machine setup from Brighthill Investment

Grant sought for =US$250,000

USD50,000 - Composting Plant

USD25,000 - Animal Feed Machine

USD25,000 - Service Charges

USD25,000 - Particle Board Machine

USD25,000 - Briquette Machine

USD100,000 - Facility Setup

Winning the Mission Billion Challenge will afford me the opportunity to fine-tune my business model and gain technical support which will help put to path the successful implementation of my Curculrities for Insurance Project. As a startup yearning to succeed in the market space, an adequate dose of mentoring and coaching will mean a lot to my success and winning this prize will go a long way to make the project successfully reach it's goals. Also, the funding will help the execution of important activities of the project which I cannot afford to miss. Lastly, the exposure this solution will get it enlisted as part of the winners will be an eye opener of other countries to take steps to implement such initiatives and and connect my organization to possible collaborations for our future growth.

We seek mentorship from experts in the field of insurance to give us foresight and guide as with strategies that can help us meet our set goals. We also seek expert support to the development of our application and deployment of geospatial technology in our solution which will require technology which we might find difficult at our exposure. We seek for connection with agencies who have our project as part of their priority areas to help raise funds to support the implementation of our project and finally an opportunity to expose our solution through newsletters, webinars and tags

Microsoft development of AI tech to proper waste sorting