Dilenna’s main concern is whether Green Forest could be sustainable in the long run – if it continued to drive an environmental cause.
Although the Save80 innovation earned the UNFCC Carbon Credit (United Nations Framework for Convention on Climate Change) to fund its production and distribution, there were strict compliance requirements to be kept to .
Although the Nigerian Customs Service imposed hefty requirements, Dilienna saw this as an opportunity to cite her assembly plant in Ibadan to employ people. She in turn will be benefiting a 5% reduction in the rate of import duties.
- What did Dilenna set out to do and why?
In a bid to symbiotically solve this sustainability problem for rural women, she registred Green Forests Incorporated and formed an alliance with Yahaya Ahmade, the CEO of DARE who innovated the Save80 Stove made of polypropylene and powered by the WonderBox. This innovation could retain heat for cooking.
- How did she plan to take care of the 3 Ps of sustainability?
Dilinna as an individual developed an interest in Clean Development Mechanism projects owing to her history and awareness of Deforestation (Plant) and displacement of people – and make profits while doing this.
- Describe the challenges she faced and how she could overcome them.
- Import challenges from the Nigerian Customs Service imposing restrictions on the goods and delaying the clearance of goods at the port. She dealt with this challenge by citing in Ibadan and also leveraging her existing network of distributors.
- Her target market was segmented. It targeted women who were in the rural or sub urbank community and used firewood for the supply of her cooking needs. Though the concern was ameliorated by certain urban women who bought and sent to the rural areas.
- The Cost of the Save80 was 17,000 and most of the target consumers (Rural Women) were unwilling to make this commitment. She surmounted this challenge by exploring credit purchase option leveraging partnerships with the banks.
- She explored the local creation /manufacturing of WonderBox To obviate import concerns. The solution was found in KooBAGS which was in existence since 1970s and local and more efficient. She also saw the employment opportunity generation.
- She launched the loan scheme in partnership with First City Monument Bank in Ekiti but most of the clients did not repay the loans.
- The LOA application made in favour of Detlev (producers of BioDigester) seemed to be stalled by regulatory bureaucracy
- The Accounts from the Ibadan Warehouse revealed discrepancies in the Sales Volume. The Save80 Units were still selling but a a low volume and the rates and procedures were eating into the margins.
What do you advise her to do going forward?
The KooBags would have been a great alternative but her partnership with the German NGO and the UNFCCC Regulations required the stove and WonderBox to be sold together as one. She should proceed with the Urban sales of the Save80 as they are a better source of marketing since they still get to the rural areas.
