trendwatching.com's 2014 06 UTILIT-EASERS

UTILIT-EASERS
How utilitarian brands are easing the
strain of everyday life in Africa.
Africa TREND BULLETIN
June 2014

Many Africans have
had enough!
Africans, like their global counterparts, lead busy,
busy lives. And the disruptions that occur when
basic services don’t work means that many are
happy (as well as increasingly able) to spend on
products and services that make everyday life
faster and easier.
Now, they’re looking to innovative brands and
entrepreneurs to step up, and start improving
local services and systems. And as the continent
continues to develop, this desire to engage with
such brands – plugged into their localities and
equipped with a broader purpose to do good –
only intensifies.
Rising numbers are unwilling to
accept unreliable utilities and
lack of basic infrastructure.
UTILIT-EASERSwww.trendwatching.com/trends/utilit-easers 2

Almost one in two people in sub-Saharan
Africa report having paid a bribe in the last
12 months when interacting with key public
institutions and services.
THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, MAY 2014

UTILIT-EASERS | Utilitarian
brands that are easing the lives
of Africans by saving them time,
putting them in control, and
enabling consumer independence.
These brands are ultimately
bridging the gap between basic
infrastructure and the burgeoning
expectations of citizens across
the continent.
DEFINITION

Since 2005, a net 8 million people in Africa
have moved out of poverty.

Three forces are
driving
UTILIT-EASERS into
the mainstream in
2014:
Industry, government and archaic institutions
just aren’t delivering.
Startups and industry giants are finally
innovating to meet consumer expectation.
Today, everyone aspires to best-in-class
products, services and experiences.
1. Increasing dissatisfaction
2. Era of innovation
3. Everyone wants in

Consumers are becoming more and
more skeptical about the current
offerings from big industry, government
and archaic institutions. No longer
willing to tolerate poor utility services
and infrastructure, Africans are
expecting brands to step in… And step it
up!
1. Increasing
dissatisfaction

Over half of sub-Saharan Africa respondents believe
that their government is largely run by big entities
acting in their own best interests, instead of the
public good.

From start-ups to conglomerates,
organizations in Africa are finally
realizing that in order to solve local
challenges and meet new expectations,
they need to innovate. That means new
products, business models, service
delivery ideas, and more.
2. Era of innovation

76% of Kenyans believe that becoming an
entrepreneur is a desirable career choice.
OMIDYAR NETWORK, APRIL 2013

Today, the less prosperous are aspiring
to own the best-in-class products,
services and experiences. Even those
living in rural areas will at least know
about (if not have visited) nearby urban
cities where the opportunities for
consumption are endless.
3. Everyone wants in

In 1980, only 28 percent of Africans lived in cities.
Today, 40 percent of the continent’s one billion people do.
By 2030, that share is projected to rise to 50 percent, and
Africa’s top 18 cities will have a combined
spending power of USD 1.3 trillion.
MCKINSEY, JUNE 2010
28%
40%
50%
1980 2030NOW

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So let’s have a look at the savviest
UTILIT-EASERS and the various ways
they are serving African consumers.

UTILIT-EASERS AT HOME
FEATURED INNOVATIONS
Home life for consumers throughout the continent is still as
challenging as it gets, with basic utilities unreliable and the regular
need to resolve domestic issues, too.

The household electrification rate in Africa stands at
just 43%, leaving 600 million people without access
to electricity.
43%
600 million

MTN Nigeria &
Nova-Lumos
Mobile home power station kit provides
alternative solar electricity supply

DryBath
South African waterless showering aid for
those lacking access to clean water

FOUFOUMIX
Togolese appliance quickly pounds tubers
into foufou

M-KOPA Solar
Kenyan startup provides solar home
systems via M-PESA payment plan

UTILIT-EASERS OUT & ABOUT
From mobile devices to traffic jams, there’s a pressing need
for innovations that make life less stressful, more convenient
and safer.

Road fatalities on the continent result in 225,000
deaths every year – about one-fifth of total fatalities
from road crashes worldwide.
225,000 deaths

CladLight
Kenyan smart-jacket reduces
motorbike accidents

Rlg Communications
Gambian solar-charging phone kiosks
introduced in Ghana

Traffic Butter
Nigerian traffic information app
crowdsources updates

UTILIT-EASERS IN EDUCATION
Lack of teachers, schools, textbooks, learning resources –
the list goes on: a big challenge for the continent, and a great
opportunity for UTILIT-EASERS.

Half of all African children reach adolescence
without achieving literacy or numeracy.

Via Afrika &
Breadline Africa
Upcycled shipping containers converted into
digital learning centers in South Africa

Obami
South African mobile tutor and student
study platform

Beni American
University
Nigeria’s first private online university

Qurio
Free academic scholarships in return for
community knowledge transfer

UTILIT-EASERS FOR WORK & PLAY
Tools and services that improve work efficiency and enhance
leisure time will forever be in demand.

Africa’s current working population of
600 million is set to double by 2040,
overtaking both China’s and India’s.
2040NOW

Duma Works
Kenyan website assists job-hunters

Keepod
Low-cost ‘operating-system-on-a-stick’
first tested in Nairobi

MallforAfrica
Shopping platform connects global
e-tailers with Nigerians

UTILIT-EASERS IN MONEY MATTERS
With the plethora of cash-only, informal markets and unbanked
citizens, Africans still can’t get enough of UTILIT-EASERS that
tap into mobile banking, cashless transacting and microloaning.

The Nigerian Financial Inclusion Strategy
(NFIS) aims to reduce the percentage of
financially excluded adults in Nigeria
from 46.3% to 20% by 2020.
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA, JULY 2013
46.3%
20%

Nomanini
South African POS device announces
expansion into Mozambique

Lendico
Online marketplace allows investors to
directly fund the loans of South Africans

VeriFone & Teasy
Mobile
Collaboration sees the expansion of mobile
money services in Nigeria

UTILIT-EASERS IN SICKNESS
& IN HEALTH
Wellness is a fundamental human desire. Across the continent,
the race continues to close the gaps between this desire and
available solutions.

Africans with diabetes: 12.1 million patients today, 24
million by 2030. Africans with cancer: 681,000 new cases
in 2008, 1.6 million new cases a year by 2030. Africans
needing antiretroviral treatment (for HIV and AIDS): 7.5
million today, 30 million by 2022.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, AUGUST 2013
24
12.1
7.5
30
1.6

UTILIT-EASERS IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH
Wireless Reach
Kenyan based technology intervention
programme for HIV patients

Hello Doctor
‘Doctor in your pocket’ app provides
health information to South Africans

WinSenga
Ugandan startup launches mobile
phone-based fetal heart rate momnitor

Unjani Clinics
South African health organization
launches ‘clinics-in-a-box’

NEXT
A few things to consider for all you aspiring
UTILIT-EASERS...

Analyze how your customers interact with you
– from start to finish. Think about what you can
do to make their lives even easier. What extra
benefits will they appreciate? How can you
enhance their experiences and make them that
little bit more memorable?
Scrutinize
everything
NEXT

Of course the masses in Sub-Saharan Africa
still don’t earn much. But their expectations
are rising, and even their more affluent peers
yearn for relevant, effective solutions that are
affordable, too. Put all that together, and the
market size is undeniable.
BOP = TOP
NEXT

For aspiring foreign UTILIT-EASERS, consider
which issues are unique to the local market
you’re targeting and think about how you can
most pragmatically solve them. Want a hint?
See Huawei’s latest phablet (the Ascend Mate
2) that charges other devices.
Global brands:
Get in!
NEXT

If you’re a locally successful UTILIT-EASER, why
stop there? If M-PESA can target Romania’s
unbanked citizens, there’s nothing stopping you
from identifying similar markets outside your
locality, region, country or even continent!
Local brands:
Get out!
NEXT

One of the understated benefits of being a
UTILIT-EASER is that it should ensure your new
products and services are created sustainably,
ethically and responsibly. If this is not the case,
then you may need to reconsider your strategy.
Be Good
NEXT

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PAUL BACKMAN
Chief Client Officer
paul@trendwatching.com
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trendwatching.com's 2014 06 UTILIT-EASERS