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Cottage industries defined
[sidebar_widget sidebar_id="sidebar-1" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]The term "cottage industry" has existed for many generations as a means to create manufacturing operations on a smaller scale. 
In the simplest terms, a cottage industry constitutes a small business, usually related to manufacturing or production, and typically operated from the entrepreneur’s home. These opportunities were appealing in the past because while a community may not be able to economically support a major corporation, most can support a small business. As a result, owners face less financial strain. Over the past decade though, this approach to business presents life-changing opportunities for new entrepreneurs as well as substantial benefits for underdeveloped economies.
"Cottage industries play a significant role in the economies of developing countries. These economies may lack the capital and financial systems to support larger industries. It may be difficult for smaller firms to grow due to a lack of available capital or because of uncertainty relating to private property and legal rights."
One motivation for many cottage industry entrepreneurs is that they can effectively work from the comfort of their own homes. This is especially essential for mothers who need to provide for their families or loved ones.
"The bonus for me is that I can work around my children, who are four, six and 11. Once they're asleep at night I can carry on if there are still things to do."
The flexible schedule is the only option for many candidates who wouldn’t otherwise conform to the needs of a more corporate job. Business owners save on overhead costs like renting an office space or warehouse, and have a built-in community of support. With ‘buy local’ initiatives, neighbours are excited to support you rather than the corporate conglomerates that fill shopping markets today.
"Most states' cottage food industry laws also allow goods to be sold at local farmer's markets and roadside stands, which helps these local business enterprises to prosper. Neighbors get to know their neighbors and derive additional satisfaction from knowing they are helping a local family by purchasing their products."
As the Better Life Program continues to seek out more ways to positively change communities and lead to a more sustainable society, I find more and more interest in the underutilised possibility with cottage industries. For many jobless and unbanked individuals, this might open a door – just knowing that they have a skill and they can expand upon from it the comfort of their own home.[/spb_text_block] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]
About the author
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Bih Janet Shufor Fofang on developing pedagogic tools to enhance STEM education in Cameroon
[sidebar_widget sidebar_id="sidebar-1" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]Bih Janet Shufor Fofang, an electrical engineer by training, has been teaching for more than 15 years at the largest government technical institute in Cameroon – the College D’enseignement Technique Industriel et Commerciale. While supporting a strong female presence at the institute, she continues to teach technical subjects including mechanical and electrical engineering.
In 2009, Bih Jane founded the private K-12 Tassah Academy in Cameroon, with 600 students currently enrolled – 60 percent of whom are female.
Bih Janet’s goal is to increase the numbers of women in technology in Cameroon, and to give them more decision-making power in STEM. After her visit to Silicon Valley in 2013 through the U.S. State Department’s TechWomen program, Bih Janet initiated the "STEM Boxes" project to equip her students with technology equipment used to teach and learn innovative technologies. 
Bih Janet’s efforts to drive computer literacy in West Africa are laudable. In 2016, she received the A. Richard Newton Educator ABIE Award which recognises educators for developing innovative teaching practices and approaches that attract female students to computing, engineering, and maths in K-12 or undergraduate education. Recipients are honoured by the technical women’s community at the Grace Hopper Celebration. The Award honours the life and career of A. Richard Newton (1951-2007), who was a professor and dean of the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, a pioneer in electronic design automation and integrated circuit design, and a visionary leader in the technology industry.
"I grew up in a large family from humble roots, in the North West Region of Cameroon. I had an interesting childhood, and did the things most children in my neighbourhood did. I sold foodstuff in the markets, and went to farm with my parents."
- What was your first impression of STEM as a young woman?
"I have never thought of STEM as something that had a gender assigned connotation tagged to it. As a matter of fact, I happened to grow up having many brothers and mimicked and competed with them at every level without paying attention to gender. It was only until I started work that I realised workplace ethics seemed to identify role plays with gender. I have always known what I have to do without fear of stigma or stereotype. I grew up free, and no one reminded me of what I could or could not do."
- You have been teaching electrical engineering for over 15 years at the College D’enseignement Technique Industriel et Commercial. What has this experience been like for you?
"It's been 18 years, and I now develop pedagogic tools to enhance the teaching and learning of STEM in our educational system. It has been an enriching experience; one where I have had to exchange skills with bright young minds and grown my own competence. Not only have I developed the ability to analyse and think things through, I have learnt the art of giving back selflessly as I see my students grow and appreciate what they have acquired. I learnt to be patient and humble to learn new things while accepting the possibility of exploring other options in my career."
- What inspired your STEM Boxes project?
"'STEM boxes' was borne out of a need to reach out to students in underprivileged areas with little resources. Given that most of the technology equipment used to teach and learn artificial intelligence and innovative technologies are not made in Cameroon, I knew I had to figure out how to reach as many students as possible with a few boxes. Even though I taught different things to different groups of girls, I knew we can not accept the excuse of lack of resources and not do something to overcome these challenges. We need to work beyond obstacles. Miniaturised labs are now the order of the day, and as technology is changing and offering the ability to bypass challenges, we have to take advantage of these opportunities."
- You have had the opportunity to visit Silicon Valley. How did this experience change your general outlook on technology and culture?
"My experience at the Silicon Valley was life changing. I realised there was something I needed to fix as soon as possible. That was my mind! I had to make a tremendous mind-shift to transpose the thought process of the inventors and innovators of Silicon Valley into my own space with its own realities...because we all shared one thing in common. We are all simply focused on solving a problem in our communities, and we are doing so with all the conviction and passion we have possible. They believe in their dreams, they have the conviction that everything they do, no matter how small, contributes to the well being of their society. That was a big lesson for me. Believing in one's self, one’s ability and one's worth."
"What if we stopped waiting for someone to provide solutions, and focused instead on also making change happen in our communities by solving everyday problems through our own inventions?"
- If you could change one thing about Cameroon now, what would it be, and why?
"I would change the educational curriculum, and the way lessons are delivered, because there is a disconnect between what is taught in school and everyday life. Students finish school and lack the skills and aptitude to solve even the most basic problems around them. The education they receive sometimes seems to mislead them into thinking that earning certificates is what matters more than owning a skill."[/spb_text_block]
How Ethiopia’s Rediet Abebe is using algorithms and AI to address socio-economic inequality
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Rediet Abebe is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at Cornell University, with interests in algorithms, artificial intelligence, and their applications to social good. She is interested in using ideas from algorithms, networks, and data science to better understand and implement interventions in socio-economic inequality.Prior to Cornell, Rediet completed an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University, an M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge as a Harvard-Cambridge Fellow, and a B.A. in Mathematics from Harvard University. She has also completed two research internships at Microsoft Research.Rediet grew up in a low-income family in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she followed the national curriculum before getting a merit-based scholarship to attend a local international high school.
"I was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My mother has been working as a civil servant for the past 3 decades. So for me and my two siblings, Tsega and Ililan, our main option was attending local public schools. My mom has always been dedicated to getting us the best education possible. In my case, she stood in line for many hours several days in a row to get me into Nazareth School in Addis Ababa, which was an inexpensive, all-girls Catholic school that my sister would also later attend. I was enrolled at Nazareth School through middle school, where I followed the national curriculum. In eighth grade, I won a merit-based scholarship given out to four students from city to attend International Community School of Addis Ababa. At ICS, I followed the International Baccalaureate curriculum before applying to universities abroad."
Rediet has also co-founded several initiatives to help identify and forge new research paths and create more collaborative environments at the intersection of computer science and social sciences. These include an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional research group on Mechanism Design for Social Good and corresponding workshops at the ACM Conference on Economics and Computation. The group and workshops have hosted speakers from computer science, economics, global health, sociology, as well as many related fields. The goal of this initiative is to build domain knowledge in topics including affordable housing, economic inequality, and social mobility, to identify algorithmic, optimization, and mechanism design problems aimed at improving access to opportunity.In spring 2017, Rediet co-founded and has since been co-organising the Black in AI group, which aims to foster collaborations and increase the presence of Black researchers in AI. In December 2017, she co-organised the first Black in AI Workshop at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS '17), which is the largest machine learning conference. She has also been a dedicated mentor to many women and under-represented minorities through various programs.
- You seem to have a passion for Mathematics. What inspired this, and why the switch to Computer Science?
"My family tells me that I was interested in math for as long as they can remember. My mother recalls that before I even got to first grade, when I was home-schooled, I would go through my math lessons very quickly and would insist on more lessons! I realised that I’d like to pursue math as a career in middle school when we started learning geometry. I was mesmerised by the concreteness and elegance of it, and I would often spend entire weekends trying to understand why different geometric identities hold. I don’t remember how I learned this, but someone mentioned to me that professors get to do this for a living, and I thought 'that must be the coolest job ever'.I studied math through college at Harvard and was planning on pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics after finishing my masters in math at the University of Cambridge. I spent the summer before at the University of Chicago, where I got exposed to algorithms. During my time in Cambridge, I took some classes related to algorithms and game theory. This experience put me on a totally different path. I realised that I could work on these mathematically-flavoured problems that have always interested me, but also apply them to answer societal questions. So, now, in addition to spending entire weekends trying to prove theorems, I also get to work on problems that can directly improve our understanding of societal processes."
- Tell us about the project you are currently working on.
"Along with Kira Goldner (a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington) I co-organise the Mechanism Design for Social Good group, which is an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional group with the goal of identifying research topics for which algorithmic, mechanism design, and AI techniques have the potential to improve access to opportunity. Through this group, we have been exploring domains such as housing, economic inequality, and the developing world through an interdisciplinary lens. My research involves using algorithms and AI to shed light on under-explored dimensions of socioeconomic inequality. This includes improving our measurements and understanding of the impact of factors such as social capital, financial shocks, and access to information. I also work on improving resource allocations, targeting education and designing systems to mitigate inequality."
- What are your career plans after your PhD?
"I’m still very excited about the prospect of becoming a professor! In fact, during my time as an undergraduate and graduate student, I’ve learnt many things about the job that make it more appealing to me. In addition to doing research, I really enjoy teaching, and that’s a huge part of the job. I’m also very passionate about mentoring. I’ve greatly benefited from many senior students and faculty members who have taken me under their wings at various points in my academic development. I try to do the same with younger students. Long-term mentor-mentee relationships such as those in Ph.D. advisees are especially enriching experiences. I have had the fortune of working closely with both my graduate adviser here at Cornell and various members of my dissertation committee and other researchers. I think I’d really enjoy being on the other end!I’ve also taken on other roles during my time as a graduate student, including being a Graduate Resident Fellow on Cornell’s West Campus and a Graduate Student Ambassador at the Cornell Graduate School. As a faculty member, I would enjoy not only teaching and mentoring students in my departments, but also being part of the broader university community."
- Do you think having the opportunity to study abroad has shaped your STEM career positively?
"It has, in many ways. I remember that one of the first things I did when I arrived at Harvard as an undergraduate was to go to Widener Library. I walked around for almost two hours looking at the rows and rows of books on each floor. I had never seen so many books in my entire life! The libraries that I had access to before were a thousand times smaller, if not more. Studying abroad, and especially at these institutions that I attended, opened up a lot of opportunities for me that I could not previously imagined. I also met many of my mentors and collaborators who have helped me in my growth as a researcher through this experience, and I am very grateful!I am also hopeful that such opportunities will expand to cover all of Ethiopia, and more broadly Africa. There is growing interest in mathematics and computer science, and there is a lot of incredible work coming out of institutions in Africa. For instance, at the first Black in AI workshop, which I co-organized with some friends and colleagues, we had presentations from Ciira Maina and George Musumba from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology and Bonolo Mathibel from IBM Research Africa, as well as many other poster presentations by African researchers. There are various initiatives across the continent. Just in Ethiopia, Jelani Nelson is organizing Addis Coder, a programming and algorithms summer program for high school students. I was also at the initiation of the African Girls Can Code Initiative launched by UN Women just this past week. I’m hopeful that soon all Africa women and girls will have the option to stay at their hometowns and having access to the same opportunities and resources as they would abroad."
- What are your predictions for artificial intelligence next year? And how do you think this can advance social good in Ethiopia?
"This past year has been an incredible year for AI! The community is responding to the pressing need to both increase the diversity of the field, and also formalise ways to discuss societal implications of our research.Concerning fairness and ethics considerations of AI, we have seen two conferences that started just this past year - the ACM/AAAI Conference on AI, Ethics and Society (AIES) and the Conference on Fairness, Ethics, and Transparency (FAT*). Both of these grew out of the recognition that AI research cannot be pursued as a purely technical endeavour, but must be responsive to societal concerns. There are larger and larger communities that are approaching AI from an interdisciplinary perspective, including in AI for social good; and it's thrilling to be part of this movement!This past year, we also co-founded the Black in AI group and co-organized the first Black in AI workshop at the Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS) in December. NIPS is the largest machine learning conference, but until this past year it was only attended by a handful of Black researchers. This year was different. The workshop drew hundreds of Black researchers to NIPS! The Black in AI group is growing rapidly, including across the African continent, and I believe has been helpful in fostering research collaborations. I think we will see more work on AI by Africans and for Africa!"[/spb_text_block]
How Nigeria's agriculture can drive development
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I recently worked my way through some notes from speaking engagements to put together my thoughts on my website. In the process, I came across notes on the untapped potential within Nigeria’s agricultural sector - I grew up in Nigeria, so I know the important role agriculture plays in the shadows here. Some of these notes are from years ago, and even then, I was sure that we, as Nigerians, would see the opportunities and pursue them in the near future. While we continue to make progress, I still feel we have so much further to go. Properly harnessed, I feel agriculture has the ability to improve job rates, build the economy and increase stability in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.The problemWe often underestimate farming as a career choice. Our younger generations see it as 'back breaking-labour', with little to no yields. While I want to encourage them to follow their passions, I think they often choose their careers paths based on false information. We don’t properly convey farming as a career to our youth and as a result we disadvantage them and ourselves. As Feyi Fawehinmi says:
While agriculture has been around forever, in the new technology age, the face of it has changed. It's a skill-based field with chances to streamline your work after turning an initial profit. We need to think of agriculture as the business that it is. Over the next few decades, I suspect the agriculture I grew up around will look completely different than the new one chalked full of technology and automation.A wealth of resourcesNigeria sits on a gold mine in terms of farming potential, yet we haven’t seen a rush to the industry. As Ade Adefeko describes it:
We have so much uncultivated potential. Our land and these resources stand as a wealth of opportunity for both people and our Nigerian economy.Recently, I spoke a lot about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how important I think these are for the success of Nigeria. Equally important, I think we need to consider which industries can buffer these initiatives and which industries we need to further cultivate in order to achieve the SDGs by 2030. When it comes to cultivating the agriculture sector, I think we are on the right track. As Victor Ekwealor says:
The fact of the matter is, this industry, while it may receive a cosmetic makeover, is not going anywhere, because everyone eats. Now as we move toward 2030, let's focus on using these resources and opportunities to our advantage.[/spb_text_block] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]
About the author
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Saidat Giwa-Osagie on making a career transition to technology
[sidebar_widget sidebar_id="sidebar-1" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]Saidat Giwa-Osagie is the founder of Adorli – an online platform for natural, cruelty-free and indie beauty products.
With Adorli, Saidat is connecting consumers to beauty brands that care for their customers as well as their environment.However, what is fascinating about Saidat’s journey is her transition from social sciences to technology, and the automotive industry – where she also happens to be a Network Planner with Ford Motor Company.
"I grew up in Scotland in a family that celebrated our Nigerian culture and heritage as something to be cherished."
"In secondary school, I studied a range of subjects, before settling on a final mixture of arts and science subjects. I enjoyed the contrast between the two fields and became appreciative of knowing a bit about each area, and still carry this multi-passionate perspective today. During my time in university, I developed an interest in technology, from dabbling with basic web design for an online entertainment magazine I edited at the time. I was also reading about the new crop of tech companies in Silicon Valley, and through my studies I saw the impact of technology in political movements. After receiving my first degree in Social Policy and Politics at Bristol University, I studied for a Masters in Management, Information Systems and Innovation at the London School of Economics, which further cemented my interest in the field of technology."
- You transitioned from social sciences to automotive IT. What are some of the challenges you experienced in this transition?
"The biggest transition was learning about the automotive industry and how it is intertwined with IT. Coming from a social sciences background was helpful, because I am interested in how people interact with technology. In the automotive context there are different segments of IT users (both external and internal) so understanding how they interact with the different facets of technology is key."
- You recently launched Adorli, a marketplace platform for independent beauty brands to connect with beauty lovers. What inspired this?
"I was met with the frustration of finding products specifically catered to my individual beauty needs. I was looking for products made with natural ingredients and products that would be kind to me. As a result, I would often find myself in the beauty aisle with a potential product in one hand, and my phone in the other as I researched whether I was holding a product that would work for me. It was time-consuming, and not particularly fruitful. I began exploring the idea of a digital platform where people would be able to find beauty products that matched with their unique and individual beauty. I think there’s a certain kinship and empathy that exists when connecting customers with entrepreneurs that have lovingly created their own beauty products, often out of the same frustration of not finding the exact products that met their own needs. Adorli is the space to bridge that gap through its celebration of beauty that is both individual and kind."
- What one thing would you like to see changed in your home country of Nigeria?
"I am excited about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria and the ongoing work by business communities, accelerators and passionate individuals to bring entrepreneurial ideas into fruition. I would like to see the continued growth of these opportunities in tandem with systemic changes that enhance socio-economic development, which in turn will enable more people to build successful businesses that will economically empower business owners and their employees."
- What advice would you give to anyone trying to transition into STEM careers?
"Stay curious and keep learning. When you find a particular area that interests you, keep asking questions and exploring. Even when you’re in that specific field, keep learning. Explore adjacent paths for a more holistic perspective. Look into areas that don’t have a particularly strong connection to your field, because it helps broaden your outlook. It also gives you the advantage of making advanced and insightful connections with your unique point of view." [/spb_text_block]
Engineering beyond borders: Creating lasting solutions through innovation
[sidebar_widget sidebar_id="Sidebar" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]Have you ever wondered why you freely enjoy a phone call with that friend of yours in South Africa with little / no network interruption? Or have you tried to Skype call that business partner in Rwanda just so you could negotiate a few deals for that upcoming project scheduled for the year? Apparently, your long conversations couldn’t have happened without the intervention of telecommunication engineering making it easier to connect you to the rest of the world.On AgricultureFor a very long time, farmers in the sub-Saharan regions couldn’t track production on their (500 acres) agriculture farmlands. This made it difficult for them to resolve and provide weather information that could have saved their farms from drought or heavy downpour of rain.
Then came some innovations from outstanding young Ghanaians to revolutionising the agricultural industry, making it easier for farmers to deal with these issues.Agriculture is the main driving force behind Ghana's economy. This accounts for approximately 42% of the country's GDP, employing 54% of its workforce. Hence, innovations such as; Farmerline, Sesi Technologies, Farmart Ghana, Sesa Mu, Agrocenta and many innovative solutions are making life easier for farmers.On Renewable Energy Renewable energy has come to stay with us. In Ghana's Northern Region, solar energy is being collected and conserved, and used when the main grid (hydroelectricity) goes off. This has lessened the blackout challenges in most communities in the region, if not all communities. Our energy challenges have pushed our youth to venture into renewable energy social enterprise projects. Projects such as converting waste products into renewable sources of energy, that could be beneficial to many homes, have lessened the burden on some communities that aren't on our national grid. A report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) pointed out that the 2010 Ghana National Energy Policy encompasses cross-cutting plans to manage the major challenge of fast-growing energy needs for the national development agenda. The policy contains three chapters (4, 5, 6) dealing with renewable energy deployment, waste-to-energy management and energy efficiency. These underline the need for improved support policies, and for the private sectors involvement to foster sustainable and efficient energy generation. According to the National Energy Policy, Ghana’s renewable energy development will mainly focus on the vast mini hydro potential of the country. Twenty-one micro- and medium-hydro power sites, with generation capacities ranging from 4kW to 325 kW, have already been identified as suitable for power generation. Ghana also has great potential for waste-to-energy and biomass management; mainly the regeneration of wood biomass resources, while the National Energy Policy places more emphasis on bio-fuel generation projects. Solar radiation also provides substantial potential for power generation, and increased government support for the national solar manufacturing sector will form part of the national energy policy.
Electrical engineers, government officials, policy makers and other stakeholders should consider investing in renewable sources of energy to lessen the burden on the main grid to supply energy to industries, homes and schools across Ghana and Africa at large.On TransportationThe means of transportation in Africa haven’t improved much due to urban growth and economic challenges that make it difficult to move from one place to another within the shortest possible time. The means of transportation from some farming communities in Ghana, coupled with the deplorable nature of our roads, make it difficult for farmers to transport their foodstuffs to towns to be sold. Research shows that, in Kenya, only about 32% of rural people live within two kilometers of an all-weather road. The figures are 31% for Angola, 26% for Malawi, 24% for Tanzania, 18% for Mali and a mere 10.5% for Ethiopia. Expanding rural road networks (in addition to investing in electrification and irrigation) is a strategic investment for rural development and should not be judged against narrowly defined economic criteria.In china alone, the transportation industry has evolved. Most of their major breakthroughs had to do with electric vehicles and solar-powered bicycles. The Chinese government wants 18% of commuters to use bikes by 2020, and bike-sharing programs are key to this effort.
We have made major innovation breakthroughs in health, medicine and software solutions - which have made banking in Africa easier than before. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary we highlight the great works achieved by our young African innovators, while leveraging on their innovations to create lasting solutions to the many challenges around us.[/spb_text_block] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]
About the author
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