East Africa

“Once you don’t have it – that’s when you realize the value”

David Kuria, founder and CEO of Ecotact

When I first journeyed to Kenya in 2004, celebrating the launch of a public toilet facility was one of the last ways I imagined spending a Monday morning – or any morning (or afternoon, or evening), for that matter. In fact, unless I had enjoyed an elephant’s dose of mango juice and was on a 5 hour safari across the Great Rift Valley, I might not have had reason to celebrate a toilet at all.

Six years later, however, armed with the realization that an estimated 2.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation and 2.2 million die each year from water and sanitation related diseases, I now have billions of reasons to attend toilet parties, an emerging trend in the Nairobi slums thanks to David Kuria and Ecotact. So when the Acumen team received the invite to attend the launch of Ecotact’s 17th Ikotoilet facility last Monday, I practically ran for my dancing shoes.

Sitting under a small tent adjacent to the about-to-be-launched Kawangware Ikotoilet, Rob Katz and I listened eagerly with the 200-plus gatherers inside and spilling out the edges of the makeshift party hall. The crowd – a mix of residents, officials and journalists – engulfed the architecturally distinct Ikotoilet structure. It was clear that Acumen wouldn’t be dancing alone at this party.

The Minister of Public Health and Sanitation and the Chief Public Health Officer also showed up for the celebration. Given the honour of Chief Guests, they both made remarks before cutting the ribbon: this day marks the launch of a noble public-private partnership initiative, as we bring necessary services closer to the people and are no longer dependent on flying toilets.

Part of the media frenzy at the Ikotact launch event

The Kawangware facility is part of Ecotact’s newly implemented slum outreach model; it is now the second Ikotoilet in the informal communities of Kenya. And according to Kuria and the Minister, there will be more Ikotoilets in Kawangware in the near future – extremely exciting news for Acumen as a BoP investor!

Ecotact is experimenting with a school model in the slums as well. After cutting the ribbon at Kawangware – and being mobbed by reporters as she toured the facilities – Minister of Public Health and Sanitation and Kawangware MP Beth Mugo led a delegation to the Dagoretti Secondary School, about 10 minutes away from the new Ikotoilet.

Darogetti students meet Ecotact CEO David Kuria

The school’s 150 students currently use pit latrines. But with funding from the Solid House Foundation, Dagoretti will soon inaugurate a free-for-use Ikotoilet on site. What’s more, a biodigester will generate valuable methane gas, pumped from the toilet to the school’s kitchen.

With facilities in Nairobi’s central business district, city parks, slums and schools, Ecotact is tackling the sanitation problem here in Kenya on many fronts. As an investor and partner with Ecotact, Acumen Fund is eager to continue the celebration with Kuria and his team, as they grow from 17 facilities to a target of more than double that within the next year.

Bio:

Benje is currently a Portfolio Intern in the Agriculture and Energy portfolios in Acumen’s East Africa office. Prior to Acumen, Benje was a management consultant at TecnoServe in Kenya and at PwC in New York. He is currently starting several SMEs in the Nairobi slums, and holds a BS in Business Administration from UC Berkeley.

Acumen Fund is seeking talented, passionate individuals for a few open positions. Complete job descriptions in PDF form can be found on the Work with Acumen page of the website.

The Manager of Portfolio Performance Management will directly oversee Acumen Fund’s post-investment management processes, from assessing the needs of our portfolio companies to designing the most appropriate strategy considering available best-practices and our unique market in addition. The Manager will also be expected to build a successful performance management capability in a fast-changing and entrepreneurial environment. Our ideal candidate is not only deeply committed to our mission and business model but equipped with 8-10 years of work experience in management consulting, private equity, venture capital, start up businesses, or a related area. This is a global role which will require the hire be based in one of our global offices and travel frequently to our investment regions.

The East Africa Portfolio Manager will be directly responsible for managing current investments in the Water and Sanitation portfolio in East Africa and developing future investments in the sector. S/he will also manage compliance and operations of the Acumen Fund East Africa office. S/he will be expected to play a significant role globally, helping to build on the existing water and sanitation expertise in the organization. Our ideal candidate is not only deeply committed to our mission and business model but equipped with 7 – 10 years of principal investing experience in the water sector.

The India Portfolio Manager will be directly responsible for (1) managing the healthcare portfolio in India, including current investments and the development of future investments in the sector and (2) managing compliance and operations of the Acumen Fund India office. S/he will also be expected to play a significant role globally, helping to build on the existing healthcare expertise in the organization. Our ideal candidate is not only deeply committed to our mission and business model but equipped with 7 – 10 years of principal investing experience in the healthcare sector.

If you or someone you know is interested in these positions, please visit the site to learn more.

Let me congratulate Acumen investee David Kuria, founder of Ecotact, for being named the African Social Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009 by the World Economic Forum! This is fantastic recognition for David and his team’s work on bringing affordable, high quality sanitation services to thousands of people every day. Currently, Ecotact serves more than 9,000 customers daily through 10 toilets operated throughout the city of Nairobi, Kenya and other nearby locations. The toilets cost 5 shillings per use, though individuals also can pay a bit more to take a shower in a clean environment – a real luxury for thousands who travel into the city from the slums and far-flung rural areas to work in offices after long, dusty bus ride. Ecotact is showing that public-private partnerships can work on behalf of all people and we are proud to be a part of this effort.

Updated March 31, 2009: The application period for the East Africa Leader position has ended. Thank you for your interest in Acumen Fund!

Acumen Fund is currently in search of an experienced individual to join our East Africa team in Nairobi as the East Africa Leader. The PDF version of the job description can be found on the Work with Acumen page.

The East Africa Leader is a senior role within Acumen Fund, requiring collaboration with our Chief Investment Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. The Leader’s main responsibilities will include, but will not be limited, to developing and managing our presence in the East Africa region, developing and managing the staff in our East Africa office as well as working closely with our Business Development team to identify, cultivate and secure partner and corporate contributions in the region

If you or someone you know is interested in the position, please visit the site to learn more.

“The toilet is a godsend” says Maurice Kirimi, a 29-year old Kenyan interviewed in line outside an Ecotact Ikotoilet last week. Maurice’s comments - along with a handful of other customers’ - were featured in an article that appeared in Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper about new, pay-per-use public toilets. Entitled “Public toilets no longer filthy dens but gleaming havens,” the article discusses pricing (5 KSh for the toilets - about $0.06 USD; 10 KSh for a shower - about $0.12 USD) and customer satisfaction.

We’re glad to see an Acumen Fund investee featured in the article, but what’s even better is to hear customers’ opinions of clean, professionally-managed sanitation facilities. And you can’t beat the photo, which is of an Ikotoilet facility on Aga Khan Walk.

In case you’re not subscribed to the Acumen Fund web site’s RSS feed (yes, there is one), a quick update: we’re hiring an Agriculture Portfolio Associate/Manager.

Full details are available on the Work with Acumen page, including a PDF job description.

The Agriculture Portfolio Associate/Manager will, among other things, coordinate activities related to agriculture in East Africa and the development of our investments in the sector in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania. S/he will also be expected to play a significant role globally, helping to build agricultural expertise in the organization. Based on qualifications and experience, the position will be created as an Associate or a Manager position.

Specific responsibilities include:
- Identify new investments, carry out due diligence and investment activities on potential investments, with a strong focus on the water sector;
- Prepare, present and maintain detailed investment documentation for Acumen Fund Senior Management, Acumen’s Investment Committee, and the Acumen Fund Board of Directors;
- Help manage relationships with upcoming agriculture investments in the region;
- Provide management support to agriculture investees.

If you or someone you know is interested in the position, please visit the site to learn more.

Last week, the Acumen Fund East Africa office invited its Advisory Committee and investees for breakfast (pictured at left). The group’s size itself told of the significant growth Acumen Fund has experienced in East Africa over the last year – with 8 entrepreneurs from 7 portfolio companies in attendance.

The conversation began with investees discussing shared challenges and the solutions/innovations they’re bringing to market. There was a powerful energy and momentum at the table, with each entrepreneur doing what they do best: seeking opportunity. Ideas and connections were fast and frequent: selling nutritional porridge at public toilets, liking micro-health insurance schemes to low-cost health care providers, using microfinance institutions to help organize farmers for pharmaceutical production…you get the idea.

It was exciting to watch these entrepreneurs use a simple platform to connect, share and explore collaborative opportunities. There was a clear hunger for such a forum on behalf of the investees, and when we had to call the event to a close, several members asked to make such meetings a regular occurrence.

There are lessons being learned every day in each of these ventures and there are real opportunities to for investees to work together in serving the base of the pyramid. Over the coming year, the Acumen Fund East Africa office looks forward to facilitating more of these conversations and learning from the commonalities, differences, and connections between this inspiring group of entrepreneurs.