IgnitePreneur by Hano Academy

IgnitePreneur is a new term developed by Hano Academy team which means igniting the power of entrepreneurship in deserving communities to improve their livelihoods. This initiative provides skills training, access to capital, network and technology to get employed or help them develop their own income ventures. If scaled up, it will improve the lives of millions of marginalized people, spur economic growth and reduce social stratification.

Some of these marginalized communities have been displaced from their homes and are in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, while those from the host community live under extreme poverty conditions. Others are refugee returnees who have been away from the country as refugees since the collapse of the Somali government. The Somali government is currently unable to meet the social demands of these communities and is hampered by an endless conflict with Al-Shabab, flood, drought and feminine.

In Somalia alone the number of IDPs in 2020 is 2.6 million in addition to 108,000 refugee returnees from Kenya, Yemen and other countries, coupled with 1.9 million urban poor communities. A majority of these people lack an access to education/skills, employment, network and capital for starting businesses. This exposes them to suffering and exploitation. Majority of households are women-led as more men perished in the civil war or abandoned their families due to hardships. Lack of access to proper and relevant skills training denies them a chance to a gainful employment. Financial institutions have stringent employment conditions that disqualify many marginalized communities from accessing funding for business startups.

Lack of technological know-how affects the community’s ability to gain skills, get jobs or start businesses. Somalia’s weak economy is recovering from a prolonged civil strife that led to the collapse of all systems of governance and public/private infrastructure. The country mainly depends on foreign aid for its survival. These, coupled with a weak economy, flood, drought, feminine and unstable political leadership increases the vulnerability of the target population thus exposing them to crime, poverty and mass exodus to Europe as refugees.

Our solution is a one-stop-shop (IgnitePreneur) that caters following:

• Skills training through Hano Academy

Hano Academy offers training programs in different skillsets including marketable technical & vocational skills training and life skills that either enable marginalized communities to start their own ventures or secure employment.

• Linkages to jobs through Baadigoob

Baadigoob is an online & offline platform for connecting skilled people and employers together through freelancing basis. Baadigoob offers an active call center where employers call to request for services or skilled laborers. Baadigoob also serves as a platform for e-commerce (online marketplace) for buying and selling goods online.

• Business Startup Incubator

The startup business incubator provides mentorship, training, networking and Business Development Services through Hano Social Innovation Hub. Jobseekers learn key business and technology skills, for starting, managing and running businesses profitably, while leveraging on technology and entrepreneurial skills.

• Access to micro-business finance

New entrepreneurs and SME with great business ideas are provided access to micro-business finance and investments through the Social Innovation Hub and Maan-Maal TV Entrepreneurship Program. At the Maan-Maal TV participants pitch their business ideas in front of experts of various backgrounds and successful businessmen and women where brilliant ideas are further refined and invested.

Our solution serves marginalized populations including refugee returnees, IDPs and poor host communities in Somalia. About 51.86% of our beneficiaries are women where most of them are victims of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

We always conduct baseline studies where we identify key areas that can improve livelihoods of the target group. During the implementation of activities, we allow target group to elect leaders to represent them on the project team. We also conduct baseline market surveys to get more insight on top priority areas for skills training and business opportunities.

We engage the beneficiaries in looking for best solutions through our interactive consultative meetings. We liaise with community elders who guide us on the best way of implementing our activities to get desirable results. We also collaborate with humanitarian organizations such as UNHCR and IOM in these consultative sessions.

Our solution empowers beneficiaries through skills training thereby increasing their chances of getting employed or starting businesses, and linkages to network and financial support.  Through Hano Social Innovation Hub we offer training on Business Development to the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries learn how to develop an idea into a successful business. We help successful ideas get funding through the Maan-Maal TV entrepreneurship program.

The problem and solution are related to the challenge as they seek to provide opportunities for the marginalized populations to access and create good jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities to improve their livelihoods. Offering modern skills training, providing access to capital and networks, and business startups that leverage on technology empowers beneficiaries to better their lives. Knowledge in different skills increases their chances of getting employed or creating their own businesses. Skills training, use of technology in creating employment, and seeking finance for business startups helps them to create more entrepreneurial opportunities and good jobs for themselves. 

Our solution is innovative because it responds effectively to the human capital development mechanism through the three E’s (Empowerment, Education, and Employment) for sustainable livelihoods. Our new business model and processes ensures that beneficiaries transition from one stage to another with inter-linked objectives. Whereas other solutions major in one area, ours is result-oriented and ensures complete transformation of the beneficiaries. Our solution is a one-stop shop that caters for all of the four innovative solutions. This solution is important in Somalia as it provides access to jobs, training, business investment and work all under one umbrella. This is a unique approach that no agency has implemented anywhere in Somalia.

We also provide an innovative tech-driven solution to link up the beneficiaries with job opportunities through Baadigoob. The platform collects data through artificial intelligence and matches our beneficiaries to specific jobs. We are developing an online payment system that will be used for all transactions and agreements made through our platform. This will integrate all telecommunication companies in Somalia. As, payment services like PayPal don’t work in Somalia thus making online transactions impossible.

We are unique because unlike other recruitment agencies which link up job-seekers to white collar jobs, our platform caters for freelance jobs in the informal sector such as masonry, construction, painting, electrical work, Graphic designer etc. Ours is the first initiative targeting marginalized communities and which in addition to offering training, business mentorship and job linkages also provides access to network and finance to start their own businesses. 

Our multipurpose job platform (Baadigoob) is used for linking jobless youth to employment opportunities on a freelance basis and connecting buyers and sellers of various products. 

The core technology for our platform include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL and PHP. The interface allows users to communicate through chats and discuss the job or business deals. This technology is accessible and can be scaled up to reach many people around the globe. Although some features are common with technology used for making e-commerce sites, ours is more modified to analyze the skillsets, summarize them and link them up with prospective employers. 

We also utilize technology in offering training at the social innovation hubs where the beneficiaries learn how to use IT in leveraging their businesses. They learn skills such as digital marketing, driving sales using data, use of social media platforms to market products and other IT-related business solutions. Other types of technology used in this initiative include:

• Internet Technology – used for facilitating research programs and for learning in our Social Innovation hubs.
• Simulation software used to support learning processes
• Computer hardware systems, tablets, display screens and other interactive boards used for teaching and learning at Hano Academy (Especially in IT-related Courses)
• Our online Learning Management System (LMS); Miro and ZOOM at Hano Academy that supports administration, tracking progress of individual learners, documentation and generating reports automatically.

We use a widely-accepted technology in offering our solution. The platform’s tech stack comprises of different products such as HTML CSS; JavaScript and PHP. among others. Internal features include Customer support, marketing, product & design. Analytics, productivity & operations among others. Our platform is already operational and several interests have been recorded. Other features of our tech-based training have been offered to more than 1200 trainees from the marginalized community. This technology has been used in developing other e-commerce and freelancer job websites in the world.

The IT-related skills offered during the Business Development Services and training at Hano Social Innovation Hubs utilizes common technology including Miro, ZOOM, MOOCs, use of online videos and other virtual collaboration platforms. The technology has been used in developed countries offering virtual training and buying and selling products and services.

The use of Internet technology is a widespread activity that harnesses productivity in research and education fields, our beneficiaries learn IT-related courses and also use internet for educational research purposes and online collaboration.

Trainees undertaking business development training use technology to learn units such as Business Information technology and how to apply technological solutions in running their businesses.

Theory of Change

The main goal of the Ingitepreneur initiative is to offer an effective response to human capital development mechanism through empowerment, education and employment for sustainable livelihoods. The project seeks to improve income generating capacity of marginalized communities in Somalia.

Outcomes

• Increasing accessibility to technology, skills and finance to support sustainable livelihoods of the marginalized communities
• Building a business eco-system and creating jobs and networks to support sustainable livelihoods of the target group.

Major Outputs

• Providing access to skills training, financial support, jobs and digital business platform
• Building networks to enable access to freelance long-short-term employment.
• Promoting business innovation by providing training, mentorship and visibility through an entrepreneurship TV program
• Increasing access to technology and busines mentorship, and development services through Innovation Hubs

Main Activities

1. Creating a Technical Skills Training Institute (Hano Academy) to provide training, access to technology and sustainable business ecosystem.
2. Setting up an online platform for freelance employment (Baadigoob) to facilitate direct hiring of beneficiaries and online marketplace to buy and sell products and services.
3. Running an entrepreneurship TV program for developing viable business ideas, seeking finance, network and creating visibility for the best and profitable entrepreneurial ideas (Maan-Maal TV Entrepreneurship Program).  This program is implemented in three phases namely:

• Pitching of business ideas to a panel of experts with an aim of acquiring investment.
• Business bootcamp to train those whose ideas succeed at the pitching phase.
• Empowerment of the successful ideas through financial assistance, mentorship and investment of returnable seed capital.

Currently our solution serves 215 people. We have already offered our solution to 4,298 people since 2016. Within this year we project to serve 500 -700 beneficiaries from the marginalized communities.

If we get the support from Solve, we expect that through our solution we shall improve over 1 million livelihoods by supporting the main breadwinners gain skills, access employment or start a business in the first year. This will help them feed their families, take children to school, move out of the refugee camps and settle faster within the host community. Within one year, we hope to create 500,000 new jobs, expand our clientele base and introduce the online money payment method via our job platform.

By 2025 we expect to reach at least 3 million users on our job platform. We have planned to have 5 idea pitching sessions within the next five years, where the finalists will be linked to venture capitalists for funding. This will lead to job creation as each winner is expected to hire local employees especially from the marginalized group.

According to UNDP statistics, Somalia has a poverty rate of 73% where unemployment rate is 67%; with 70% of its population is under the age of 30 years.

Though, we offer socio-psychological support, our objective is to produce skilled individuals who can secure employment or have the skills to start businesses that create jobs for others.

Our goals within the next year include:

• Expanding our services to impact at least 1 million people from the marginalized and low-income families in Somalia and beyond.
• Increasing the number of freelance job-seekers and prospective employees to 120,000 and more
• Create 500,000 new jobs and expand our clientele base
• Developing a mobile app for our initiative.
• Providing skills training services to 70,000 and more beneficiaries from the marginalized communities
• Creating collaboration with 10 local and international partners in Somalia who will support the training of the beneficiaries and linking them to employment opportunities
• Technology: - Adding the online payment method to the Baadigoob platform to enable online payment for services and goods.

Our five-year plan is to improve the livelihoods of 3-5 million people from marginalized communities including refugees and IDP families in Somalia, and more around the globe. We also plan to empower these families and enable them lead normal lives. Our vison is to enable them to take care of their children, educate them and settle comfortably within the host communities. We plan to do this through:

• Establishment of innovation hubs across the 7 states of Somalia
• Conducting extensive market that will attract many employers to hire our beneficiaries through our job platform
• Establishing more partnerships with federal government, states, private sector, TVET centers, Non-profit organizations as well as Local and International NGOs; International Companies and Institutions and Experts.
• Hosting 5 Maan-Maal TV Entrepreneurship Program with a target of raising capital for the winning ideas.

The main barriers that might hinder us to achieve our goals include:

Financial: To actualize huge impact in the lives of these marginalized communities, is finance. Our target group are jobless and live in abject poverty and thus cannot manage to raise even their own bus fair to attend the training. As a way of motivation, we also provide them with some incentives to help them buy basic such as food and water. Given that we plan to expand our services across the entire Somalia and East African Region, we need funds to sustain our activities and manage the programs. We also require some funds to upgrade our technology and hire more qualified staff to enable us achieve our goals.

Technical: We need assistance in the technical field to help us upgrade our current technology. As stated in one of the goals, we plan to integrate a unique online payment system that is also linked to mobile money transfer on our platforms to enable easier transactions between clients. This will ease the way business will be conducted on the platform clear other bottlenecks and make the platform more useful.

Market Barriers: Our expansion in Somalia and beyond might face some challenges. Refugees and IDPs exist in many parts of the world and there’s a huge demand to offer skills-based training, linkages to employment and finance for starting businesses. This calls for through planning, market analysis and collaboration with both local and International organizations working in target areas.

The following are the ways through which we plan to address the barriers

Financial Barriers: We plan to create more partnerships with iNGOs and other players in private sector to raise funds. We will approach donor organizations such as USAID, EU, World Bank, DFID, etc. through writing grant concept notes and proposals for funding of our programs. We have previously worked with UNHCR, UNDP and UNOPS in offering our solution and we hope for an extended partnership that will enable us to raise funds. We also look forward to establishing partnership with the SOLVE community/ members who may help us in designing financial strategies and or fund our programs. Additionally, we hope to raise some money from Venture capitalists through Maan-Maal TV Entrepreneurship Program.

Technical Barriers: We plan to partner with other tech-based organizations and companies in developing and refining our technology. This is another area that we also hope for assistance from the SOLVE community. Once we get funding, we shall also hire experienced tech-oriented specialists to offer training in our Hano Social Innovation Hubs. We will also partner with other organizations working in similar or related fields and request them to provide feedback on our solution.

Market Barriers: We have designed an expansion plan which will enable us to scale massively within Somalia and Beyond. We will laisse with both national and local authorities within the target countries and establish partnerships with humanitarian organizations working in these areas.  We will also explore this great opportunity through SOLVE community. 

We have 17 full-time staff, 5 part-time and 11 contractors. 

Our team are well-positioned because of their diverse nationality and background

Our Solution came from Dr. Sadiyo Siad’s personal experience as an IDP in Somalia and refugee first in Kenya and later in Europe. She witnessed how lack of skills training and unemployment affected refugees. Her hunger for education and desire for success compelled her to work hard in her studies which later earned her four degrees and a PhD. Upon completing her studies in the UK, she travelled back to Somalia to help the marginalized communities.

Prof. Michael Campton, a teacher at Columbus College of Art & Design (USA), combines both creative artistry and data analysis with over two decades of senior level Fortune 500, NGO and government experience in various areas of strategic design, including business and service design. He has served and led local and international development initiatives in marginalized, immigrant and refugee communities. His development experience includes poverty, trauma and addiction.

Mr. Dotrus Wilstic is an experienced Educator, mentor and leader with experience in planning, implementation and evaluation of educational projects. He has worked with Refugees and IDPs both in Kenya and Somalia and understands what works best for them. Dotrus has worked on this solution for the past five years and currently serves as the Vice-chancellor of Hano Academy.

Mrs. Beatriz Valbuena is humanitarian professional who has dedicated 20 years to international development programs. She is a collaboration expert, acting as an integrator between NGOs, community organizations, beneficiaries, donors, governments, headquarters and field teams. 

Existing Partnerships

Currently we partner with different organizations, institutions and Companies, namely: 

• UNHCR - Strengthening self-reliance and reintegration of Refugees Returnees, Host Community and IDPs through TVET skills training and job placement. Courses offered included: i) Building and Construction; (ii) Electrician Course; (iv) PV Solar Energy installation; Repair and Maintenance; (v) Childcare Service; and (vi) Hospitality and Catering.
• COOPI- Support in provision of TVET Skills Training and Job Creation for IDPs and Refuges Returnees.
• UNDP- supported us in offering techno-skills   during Africa Science Week and Somali STEM Summit in collaboration with the Somali STEM Society. 
• Somali STEM Society - a nationwide organization supporting STEM education. We partner with them to offer technological and digital training in fields such as Coding for girls, Youth Hackathon, App development among others.
• RTI International (Funded Project by USAID) supported us in providing skills training and job creation to the youth from marginalized communities
• Local media houses who partner with us to implement Maan-Maal TV Entrepreneurship Program (The Somali Leapfrog Foundry for Innovative Business Ideas)
• Somali Federal Government and Regional Member States - we provide capacity building training to civil servant
• Somali Banks – getting micro-business loans to our trainees
• Somali Chamber of Commerce - we provide capacity building training including Business Development Services to its member companies and SME

Ignitepreneur is an initiative that helps marginalized communities in Somalia to attain improved livelihoods. The project mostly empowers women and youth from the target population.

Our Services:

• Offering technical and vocational skills training
• Business Start-up Incubator
• Linking beneficiaries to job opportunities through Baadigoob
• Managing Baadigoob job platform both online and through the 24-hour call center
• Helping entrepreneurs get investment through the Maan-Maal TV Entrepreneurship Program.

Need for these services

The IDPs, Refugee Returnees and poor host communities in Somalia suffer as a result of unemployment, lack of skills and access to network, business mentorship and start-up capital.

Majority of them are new in their environment, lack social support system and wallow in poverty and suffering in the resettlement camps. Life in Somalia is very expensive to these communities and this exposes them to exploitation by ruthless employers who pay poorly for manual labor provided. Women and youth are vulnerable to exploitation, radicalization and forced inscription into the terrorist or criminal gangs. Women and girls also suffer from Gender-Based Violence, sexual molestation and forced teenage marriages. Our initiative aims at providing skills training, business development services, access to network, technology, business tart-up capital and kits; and linkages to employment.

Value Propositions

Our initiative leads to improved livelihoods among the marginalized communities by creating access to skills training, business development services, access to network, capital and business startup kits/tools. The beneficiaries also learn how to utilize technology and digital business solutions to improve their businesses and livelihoods.

We combine all of the following funding methods to sustain our activities.

• We apply for grants to support our TVET training programs for the marginalized communities.
• We also raise investment capital through the Maan-Maal TV Entrepreneurship Program, where some percentage of the profit goes to the investor, business inventor and small percentage goes to this imitative so that we can sustain our work
• We charge small fee to clients using the Baadigoob job platform for freelancers
• Subsidized tuition fees for interested learners who are not part of the marginalized community. We also provide training to employees of public and private organizations at a fee.
• Income from our research and consultancy programs
• We raise money by implementing some of the project initiatives in partnership with other organizations 

We are interested in being part of the SOLVE community which consists of individuals and organizations solving different problems in the world. We would like to learn from and create a network with organizations and individuals with similar objectives. 

We also want to get assistance into solving our barriers including Financial technical and access to new markets for our solution. We will learn how to improve our technology and create new partnerships across the globe through Solve’s global network. This will enable us to improve our product, approach, raise more funds and collaborate with experts thereby leading to effective achievement of our objectives. Solve’s connections and network will also expose us to a broad pool of financial, technical and strategic resources necessary for the growth of our initiative. Solve will also enable us to learn from experts and those who have previously excelled in a field similar to ours.

We also want to be part of Solve’s community and to contribute to global changes. We want to be the agents of positive change and are willing to help other members of Solve community that may need our assistance or partnership.

Partnership will enable us achieve goals of our initiative and scale up our activities. Specifically, we are seeking partnerships to enable us to achieve the following:

• Increase our opportunities for raise funds for our initiative through funds solicitation and pitching to grantors or potential investors.
• Improve the services offered by supporting research in advancing our technology, providing marketable courses and linking up our beneficiaries to jobs and market for their services/ products.
• Help us in Marketing, media and exposure
• Help us in upgrading Baadigoob platform to automate online payments and contract signing, recruitment of beneficiaries, and linking of employee profiles to available jobs.
• Help in talent recruitment, support us as part of our board members or advisors, and legal or regulatory matter. 

• MIT and Solve Members (Community)

We would like to partner with the MIT faculty and initiatives in creating quality content that attempts to solve the emerging challenges. MIT is known globally for the innovative projects that have revolutionized many aspects such as economy, technology, leadership and education. 

We also want to partner Solve as the community consists of experts from different fields, venture capitalists, innovators and change makers in different fields.

• World Bank

We have a target of impacting millions of people and this requires funding. Partnering with World bank will enable us achieve our goals and help many marginalized communities to establish entrepreneurial ventures that will change their circumstances.

• Amazon

Amazon is a successful eCommerce company that has revolutionized the way people buy and sell goods in the world. We wish to partner with Amazon to gain skills and techniques of improving our online freelance platform (Baadigob) which also serves as an online marketplace to buy and sell products and services. Our partnership with Amazon will help us improve our platform, help many people and thus change lives.

• Microsoft

Majority of our training programs are based on technology. We however want to introduce more technical courses. Our partnership with Microsoft will help us get the necessary facilities and guidance for running IT-related courses and engaging other learners from other parts of the world.

• Facebook

Facebook not only enhances publicity of the initiatives but will also help in digitalizing sales made from the ecommerce thereby bringing in more customers. 

Our unique solution qualifies for Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion because we provide skills training, access to capital, networking and technology to deserving refugee for their employment or assist them develop their own income ventures. We have a long track record in working with UNHCR and IOM on refugee skills training and employment opportunities in Somalia.

We will use the Andan Prize in the following ways:

• Organize hackathons for refugees through which they will be trained on computer coding skills and applications development. We assist them through the business incubation programs to come up with viable business ideas that can be leveraged with technology to either increase sales or specifically solve pertinent life issues affecting them.
• Offer more technical skills training that are relevant to their livelihoods which incorporate technology.
• Establish open forums through which refugees will share their perspectives and suggest solutions to their problems. This will help them form caucus to articulate their social and political views that may lead to the potential to seek audience with members of the parliament or participation of the political process.
• Establish an open journal through which refugees especially women and girls will write their experiences as refugees. This platform will encourage story telling which will be disseminated through both written and video formats. This platform will help refugees to let others know and understand their journey. 
• Women and girls are most affected due to their vulnerability and thus go through horrendous experiences which we intend to document

We qualify for Innovation for Women Prize because our solution helps girls and women from marginalized communities seek employment. The rate of unemployment among women is rampant in Somalia and other parts of Africa. We, however, established a platform that links up women with prospective employers. The use of technology in sourcing for jobs has made it easier for women to get jobs. We also partner with Somali STEM Society to organize STEM for girls which is a program that trains girls in STEM subjects. The program also encourages girls to take courses that were traditionally considered in male domain. Our initiative is women-led and therefore focusses on empowerment of girl child through innovative educational programs and linking up of women to job opportunities.

We are currently training women on how to use technology to leverage businesses and how to earn money by selling products and services online.

If we are considered for the Innovation for Women Prize, we will use it to:

• To train more girls and women in technology-related courses and hackathons where they will learn coding strategies, app development and ethical hacking among others.
• Organize competitions and help them to create an app for anonymously recording cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), rape, forced marriages and Female Genital Mutilation,etc.
• Although we do this when designing their solutions, we intend to increase the number of participants to come up with solutions to many problems affecting women refugees, Internally displaced persons (IDPs), and impoverished host communities. 

We qualify for GM Prize on Good Jobs and Inclusive Entrepreneurship because we offer skills training and other resources to adult-age refugees to enable them access to well-paying jobs in the challenging marketplace. This is accomplished in the following ways

• Through Hano Academy we offer professional development courses and TVET skills training which help adults to equip themselves with new skills in technology that are relevant to the current job-market. Changing skills in technology also change the way work is done. Our role is to equip these adults with modern skills necessary for getting jobs.
• Through our Innovation Hubs we offer business incubation skills that centre on entrepreneurship. This helps entrepreneurs to learn the necessary skills for starting, building and running a successful business.
• We provide linkages to capital for great business ideas that have the potential to grow, succeed and create more jobs through our Maal-Maal TVE Entrepreneurship program.
• We also partner with local banks to seek business start up funds for promising business ideas.

We will use GM Prize on-Good-Jobs and Inclusive Entrepreneurship following:

• Establish and equip more innovation hubs with access to training in technology across the country to help entrepreneurs in developing business ideas.
• Supporting new entrepreneurs by giving them startup kits and capital to enable them start and run their businesses
• Establish the first automobile training sector in collaboration with the GM motors in Somalia. If this succeeds, we hope to partner with GM motors to establish the first auto-mobile Assembly line in Mogadishu, Somalia.

We qualify for The Gulbenkian Award for Adult Literacy because we increase literacy rates among adults and advance economic growth by offering skills training and digital literacy for adults. Our training targets adults from marginalized communities and it includes upgrading skills and other professional progression courses. We advance economic growth by offering business development services to the trainees through the social innovation hubs. We teach them all stages of business development and growth and assist them in starting businesses. We further link them to capital or provide business startup kits. We offer continuous support and mentorship to enable trainees manage and run businesses successfully. Our initiatives also target marginalized communities such as IDPs, Refugees and poor host communities in Somalia, by training and linking them to jobs or profitable businesses we foster economic growth.

We will use The Gulbenkian Award for Adult-Literacy-Prize in the following ways;

• Establish more training for the adults where adults will be trained in different courses including digital literacy course
• Establish more business incubation centers (Social Innovation hub) where many adults will be taught business skills from the ideation to the implementation stage.
• Buy more business start-up kits for the trainees to help them jumpstart their businesses.
• Provide business start-up capital for the trainees to start their own businesses
• Link up more trainees to jobs through our job center platform (Baadigoob)
• Establish adult career development centers where adults can seek for career information and advice.
• Buy more equipment for offering digital literacy courses to the adults.

Our solution qualifies for the Future Planet Capital Prize because its scalable and has the potential of impacting millions of lives.

Our solution is a one-stop-shop (IgnitePreneur) which has already serviced over 4,298 people through these innovative pathways:  

• Offering training in marketable technical and vocational skills through Hano Academy  

We offer skills training based on the market demand. Our training ranges from long to short term courses aimed at equipping the trainees with sufficient skills necessary at the job market. We intend to expand our services across the country and later into neighbouring countries. Unlike other training institutions, we conduct market research to identify the skills on high demand. Our training fills the market gap thereby linking trainees directly to the employers.

We also offer skills progression for employees who want to gain modern skills in order to fit in the modern job market. The ever-changing technology affects how work is done today. Employees who didn’t learn some of the skills while in college want to upgrade skills in order to deliver their jobs effectively. This initiative can be scaled and implemented anywhere to impact many people in the world.

These training programs in different skillsets (marketable technical & vocational skills training and life skills) will either enable marginalized communities to start their own ventures or secure employment.

• Linkages to jobs through Baadigoob

We also have a job linkage platform (Baadigoob) where we link trainees to jobs through freelancing basis. This majorly targets the informal sector that has been neglected by most job bureaus. We also offer an active call center where employers call to request for services or skilled laborers. We conduct background check on all trainees to ensure that they are suitable for the job before linking them to employers. On the same platform, we training marginalized communities on how to use technology to leverage businesses and how to earn money by selling goods and services on Baadigoob eCommerce Online Marketplace.

• Business Startup Incubator through Hano Social Innovation Hub

The start-up business incubator provides mentorship, training, networking and Business Development Services through Hano Social Innovation Hub. Jobseekers learn key business and technology skills, for starting, managing and running businesses profitably, while leveraging on technology and entrepreneurial skills.

• Access to micro-business finance and business investments

New entrepreneurs and SME with great business ideas are provided access to micro-business finance and investments through the Social Innovation Hub and Maan-Maal TV Entrepreneurship Program. At the Maan-Maal TV participants pitch their business ideas in front of experts of various backgrounds and successful businessmen and women where brilliant ideas are further refined and invested.

In conclusion, we offer unique these above mentioned services targeting the marginalized communities. These services can be implemented anywhere in the world. Given that marginalized groups such as refugees and the poor communities exist in almost every country in the world, our solutions can be replicated in many places.

If awarded the Future Planet Capital Prize:

• We will use it to add more features on our job-linking platform (Baadigoob) such as online payment methods. This will enable users to make full transactions through our platform.
• We will also use the money to scale up our activities by establishing other on-demand skills training centres across Somalia and other parts of the world.
• We will use the fund to establish a direct link for collaboration with major companies, industries and organizations in and out of Mogadishu. We will seek for agreements to offer training on demand thereby reducing the unemployment gap while supplying the much-needed manpower.
• We will also use this funding to scale up our TV Entrepreneurship Program (Maan-Maal) where participants pitch their business ideas in front of experts of various backgrounds and successful businessmen and women where brilliant ideas are further refined and invested. Please watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2NdVzrDamY. This TV Entrepreneurship Program can be reached to millions of people and creating a great impact across the world.