First three COVIDaction Local Production and Solutions innovations funded!
We have exciting news! This week, three applications to the Local Production and Solutions (LPLS) call have been funded.
The awardees are: Garbage in Value Out (GIVO) of Nigeria, Global Auto Systems in Uganda, and Gaani of South Sudan. We’re thrilled to be able to offer funding and support to these incredible projects that respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways.
GIVO collects and recycles waste from households, individuals and businesses around Nairobi. Their process includes washing, drying and shredding these materials into very small granules. Prior to COVID-19, the production process ended at shredded plastic caps, which were sold on to exporters. The medium term goal for the company was to manufacture shredded plastic and other recyclable outputs into other valuable products. This has been fast tracked to meet the demand for PPE locally, starting with face shields from recycled bottle caps as their first product. The next will be face masks, which have already been prototyped. Both products are made from recycled High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polypropylene (PP).
GIVO’s strong circular economy approach has high potential for creating local resilience to unstable supply chains in the future. We are working with GIVO to explore ways to engage with other projects and programmes in Nigeria, including with the FCDO’s West Africa Research and Innovation Hub.
“Local production of essential goods is going to become more important as a result of COVID-19…The cost of labour and the raw material is relatively cheap locally which results in a lower production cost. This allows GIVO Face Shields to be cheaper than imported Face Shields with similar certification and quality.” (Victor Boyle-Komolafe, GIVO)
Global Auto Systems is a research-based ICT and engineering company in Uganda with strong links to Mbarara University. They entered a submission concerning the digital fabrication of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) using additive manufacture and vacuum moulding.
The Global Auto Systems team is highly skilled and experienced, and has already developed its own network of similar producers in East Africa which points to great potential for further development of these links across the region to increase resilience, and pool knowledge and resources.
We can see an exciting future for this to be a key production hub in East Africa that would be applicable to multiple programmes in the long term while placed in a much more underrepresented location. Their digital approach and network-building allows a distributed manufacturing model, with high potential to increase the flexibility of local production capacity for the long term in the region.
“In all his national COVID-19 speeches, the president of Uganda has emphasised the need for local production and purchase of what has been produced in Uganda. A slogan called BUBU, Buy Uganda Build Uganda, has also been created to encourage Ugandans to buy locally produced items. We are very sure local production is going to be more important as a result of the impact of COVID-19” (Dr. William Wasswa, GAS)
Gaani in South Sudan has come up with local solutions to combat COVID-19. They are producing two products: reusable masks made from a cloth called kitenge and clay pots attached to taps, with soap holders that make hand washing more accessible as a first line of defence against the coronavirus. They plan to develop the mask production into wider garment production such as uniforms. The clay pots are an updated version of the traditional pots which are used for water and food storage have been made in South Sudan for generations.
Gaani’s approach is designed to be sustainable. By directly building on available local materials and skills, Gaani can combat the pandemic now, while retaining local tradition that will be appropriate in the future market. Watch a short profile video about their story here.
“I want to restore the culture of the people of South Sudan and make them believe they can develop their economy through participating in local produce, because what they produce locally can be cheaper and even be exported. We want to have a wider positive impact.” (David Gaaniko, Gaani)
What happens next?
We are currently working with the grantees to best support their development with a mix of finance and technical assistance that aims to support them in the fight against COVID-19, as well as prepare them for a sustainable future in the long term.
