Altai in the news

The cross-learning from other innovators and networking opportunities has been amazing,’ remarks Peter Okonmah, co-founder of Nigerian smart farming agritech FarmSpeak Technology Limited. This is just one example of the many positive testimonials validating the purpose of the two-day GSMA AgriTech Accelerator Bootcamp held in Kigali, Rwanda, from October 15th to 16th, 2023.

After kicking off implementation of the GSMA Accelerator in June 2023, this Bootcamp enabled the first in-person gathering of representatives from the ten agritech startups, the GSMA AgriTech team, our Accelerator implementation partners (Altai Consulting, Beanstalk, and Bopinc), and our donor GIZ. The Bootcamp served as a valuable platform for our cohort, providing capacity building, promoting cross-learning, and nurturing networking opportunities among the ten agritechs.

"Le 6 octobre 2021, l’OIF et la GIZ ont entamé la première étape pour la création d’une base de données nationale sur l’Inclusion Financière, en organisant un atelier de réflexion, ayant réunis une cinquantaine de participants, issus d’une trentaine d’institutions, dont les principaux partenaires publics (Ministère des Finances, Banque Centrale de Tunisie, Autorité de Contrôle de la Microfinance, Comité Générale des Assurances, …) ainsi que des acteurs du secteur financiers privés, ainsi que de la société civile. Les travaux de réflexion ont été soutenu par le cabinet Altai Consulting, ayant mené la dernière grande étude sur l’Inclusion Financière en Tunisie en 2018 dans le cadre du programme BEI – Micromed. Cet atelier a fait ressortir l’intérêt et le consensus de l’écosystème tunisien a coopérer pour le développement d’une telle base, les données étant pour la plupart déjà collecter et disponibles auprès d’une majorité d’acteurs."

This webinar presents key insights from a recent GSMA report that looks at the business case for farmers to participate in digitised agricultural value chains. It discusses the findings from three case studies conducted in the rice and potatoes value chains in Nigeria and Pakistan. The case studies present evidence of the economic benefits for farmers from participating in digitised value chains. The webinar also explores how digital models can offer an entry point to other value-added services such as financial and advisory services, that can provide additional benefits and further increase farm income.
Speakers:
Lisa Chassin, Insights Manager, GSMA AgriTech
Massimo Pera, Agribusiness Officer, FAO
Rodolphe Baudeau, Lead Partner, Altai Consulting
Fejiro Gbag, Project Manager, AgroMall
Azam Khan, Co-founder and COO, Farm to Home

Altai Consulting research for UNICEF on the impact of COVID-19 and coping mechanisms of families with children in Moldova was selected for the BOUR (Best Of UNICEF Research) 2021. This award rewards the best research conducted around the world by UNICEF on the basis of originality, relevance of the topic, conceptualization, methodology, clarity and appeal of presentation, ethical standards, and potential for future impact. Research submitted by UNICEF offices around the world are first assessed by an internal review panel from UNICEF Innocenti (UNICEF global research centre) and then by an external review panel of five international experts.

The GIZ and the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator programme have launched a Mobile Innovation Lab, as part of the Tunisian Digital Transformation Center, implemented by the GIZ.
A major task of the Mobile Innovation Lab has recently been to landscape the Tunisian economic sectors that could benefit from the digital platform economy and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country. This research also looks at the potential benefits from digital platforms in developing key sectors as well as the maturity of the sector vis-à-vis digitalisation.

Three out of four Ugandans claimed that they did not have enough money to pay for living expenses, prior to the Covid-19 crisis.
Although the lockdown is a necessary measure, the survey disclosed that over half of Ugandan adults would be unable to sustain their current lifestyle even with one day of lockdown.

The analysis in the report conducted by FSD Uganda and Altai Consulting Ltd, further discloses that at least 57 per cent would not be able to sustain their current lifestyle after just one day of lockdown and eight out of 10 people would not be able to sustain their lifestyle after 15 days of shutdown.

"An overwhelming 94% of Indian households with a solar home system reported significant improvements to their quality of life, with a majority citing positive impacts in the areas of safety (90%) and education (66%). One in 10 owners reported an increase in income levels by up to $66 per month on average as they are using their solar home system to light and power businesses and to unlock more work hours. The findings are part of a new report published by GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry. The Powering Opportunities in South Asia research funded by UK AID and conducted by Altai Consulting titled, surveyed 949 households in South Asia, primarily including rural customers from the Indian states of Assam and Uttar Pradesh."

Emmanuel de Dinechin, cofondateur d'Altai Consulting était l'invité de RFI. Il est présent en Irak pour conseiller les entreprises qui veulent s'y implanter.

"The research, which was conducted by Altai Consulting, was based on data collected from 1,678 households in Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo that bought a solar home system between February and April 2019.

As world leaders accelerate action on climate change, Powering Opportunity in West Africa also revealed that this clean and sustainable energy technology is cutting CO2 emissions by reducing reliance on kerosene and fossil fuels. And for 51% of the households, their solar home systems replaced toxic torches and kerosene lamps as the primary source of light."

With the support from the GDI Hub as part of its AT2030 initiative, in June and July, the GSMA Assistive Tech programme and Altai Consulting conducted deep-dives in Kenya and Bangladesh to explore ownership and access to mobile phones and services by persons with disabilities (PWD). We completed 1,000 surveys and 40 qualitative interviews with disabled persons in each country, broken down by type of disability from visual, hearing, mobility and others. The research focused on the different stages in the use of mobile phones and services, including challenges around the usability of mobile phones and the user-journey of mobile money, mobile internet and access to public services.

"...Altai Consulting, un bureau d'étude et de conseil créé en Afghanistan en 2003, a réalisé une étude sur l'inclusion financière en Tunisie au profil du Ministère des Finances, des autorités de contrôle et de l'Observatoire de l'Inclusion Financière relevant de la Banque Centrale de Tunisie."

"...Hundreds of thousands of people -- from such countries as Libya, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Egypt and Tunisia -- have fled through Libya across the Mediterranean and thousands have drowned since the downfall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, according to a 2017 report by Altai Consulting in conjunction with the U.N. Refugee Agency and IMPACT Initiatives..."

"...In May 2017, GSMA, together with Altai Consulting, conducted phone surveys and field research to explore the impact of nutrition-related messages on nutritional knowledge and practices of targeted populations..."

"...Recently, in a report published by the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA), in association with Altai Consulting, the impact and the benefits of off-grid solar home systems (SHS) in improving the quality of life was highlighted.

According to the research, access to light and power have increased the working hours as they can spend more time at work. It has allowed 44 percent of users to be more flexible with their daily activities. These extra work hours have helped in making on an average an additional $25 per month..."

"Gogla has released a report showing the positive economic effects of deploying small-scale pay-as-you-go solar systems in off-grid regions. More than half of the survey’srespondents reported having increased economic activity, with many of those starting new businesses or significantly increasing their household income."

“L’absence de stabilité, de sécurité et d’Etat de droit, la crise économique, les abus et l’exploitation généralisés poussent certains migrants (…) qui souhaitaient pourtant rester en Libye (…) à tenter de gagner l’Europe, souligne un rapport du Haut-Commissariat pour les réfugiés des Nations unies, coécrit par la société Altai Consulting et le cercle de réflexion Impact Initiatives.”

“Ils ont pesé 31,4 milliards d’euros en 2015. Ces dernières années, les transferts d’argent vers l’Afrique subsaharienne ne cessent de croître. En 2016 et 2017, ils devraient encore augmenter sur un rythme de croisière de 3,5 % par an. Si, durant la dernière décennie, les deux poids lourds du transfert en Afrique, Western Union et MoneyGram, pouvaient dormir sur leurs deux oreilles, c’en est fini. Les start-up qui entendent bouleverser le secteur à coups d’innovations digitales se sont lancées dans la course.”l

“At the beginning of the third millenium, while most developing areas still are considered as “Far West” in consulting groups, three young French consultants open a boutique consultancy in Kabul: created by Rodolphe Bodeau (former marketing director at L’Oréal), Eric Davin (former strategy consultant) and Emmanuel de Dinechin (former Monitor consultant) in 2003, Altai Consulting wins its bet and grows up quickly in other emerging countries […]”

“… Eritreans and Syrians made up half of the migrant traffic to Europe last year, according to Arezo Malakooti, director of migration research at Altai Consulting and author of one of the most detailed studies of migration patterns. Malakooti has recently visited seven countries, including Libya, Tunisia and Morocco to update her study.

The “push factor” is much greater than the “pull” of Europe, she says. Upheavals and instability across much of Africa and the Middle East — combined with the perception that Libya’s doors are open — have led to a massive increase in the numbers trying to reach Libya. “Worsening repression in Eritrea” has been one factor, she says — while Eritreans already in refugee camps in Sudan have decided to make a dash for the Mediterranean.”

“Migrants leaving from north Africa for Italy do so overwhelmingly from Libya, though there are also routes to Italy from Egypt and Morocco, and from Turkey to Greece. A 2013 report for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by Altai consulting, estimates that the cost of getting to Libya varies from about $200 to $1,000 from west Africa, and from about $1,000 to $6,000 from the Horn of Africa.”

“… Various armed groups in Libya are aggressively advertising their services to would-be migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and Syrians fleeing conflict in their country, presenting the collapse of order in Libya as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure safe passage to Europe, says Arezo Malakooti, the director of migration research for Paris-based Altai Consulting, a consultancy that works with the International Organization for Migration and other migration-related groups.”

“Businesses and mobile carriers are missing out on billions of dollars in potential revenue by not closing the gender gap in mobile phone ownership and usage in developing countries, according to research by the GSMA, an association of mobile operators and related businesses.

The research, which used 11,000 interviews with men and women from countries like Niger, India, Egypt, Kenya, China, Mexico and Indonesia, found that on average, women are 14% less likely to own a mobile phone than men. In South Asia, the gap is 38%. This presents an untapped market for mobile carriers, phone makers and software developers, the report said. Closing that gender gap could add an additional $170 billion to the mobile industry by 2020…”

In an interview with Le Figaro (French), Emmanuel de Dinechin analyzes the economic consequences of the current conflict in Iraq:

“… Les conséquences sont beaucoup plus graves pour l’économie irakienne. D’abord, parce que le pays est aujourd’hui partitionné de facto en trois zones quasi étanches d’un point de vue logistique et économique. Je dis «quasi étanches» car il existe encore des chauffeurs de poids lourds suffisamment courageux pour essayer de contourner les lignes de front, essentiellement par le flanc est du pays, et relier le Kurdistan au sud de l’Irak. Cette paralysie des flux asphyxie un grand nombre d’entreprises dont le modèle économique, pour vendre leurs produits finis ou se fournir en matières premières, nécessitait un accès à tout le pays….”

“…Three times as many migrants have made the dangerous journey as in 2012, says EU border agency Frontex. At least 190,000 migrants arrived in Lampedusa alone between 2001 and 2011, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Human-rights groups estimate as many as 10% of all boats departing from Libya are lost at sea. The demand for migrant-smuggling services is so high that at key transit points, such as Agadez in Niger, scores of travel agents provide information about smugglers, while smugglers openly advertise their services in some African refugee camps, according to a new report that Altai Consulting, a firm specializing in migration and security research, conducted for the U.N….”

“…Libya has more than a dozen seaports handling general cargo and container shipping along a coast that stretches about 1,220 miles (1,964 kilometers). Port activity is light when compared with other countries in the region: Container traffic in 2010 was about 162,000 twenty-foot equivalent units compared with 6.7 million in Egypt and about 2.1 million in Morocco, according to the World Bank. “Major investment opportunities lie in seaports” said Geraldine Baudienville, who has studied Libya’s transport industry for private investors as a director at Altai Consulting, which has offices in cities including Paris and Tripoli….”

Emmanuel de Dinechin and Rodolphe Baudeau comment on how private sector can help solve a public health issue taking the example of the UNICEF salt iodization program

“…A lack of iodine in landlocked Afghanistan had led to widespread disease and birth defects, so Unicef commissioned Altai to do a survey of private‐sector salt factories and scout partners for public‐private partnerships to make iodised salt. “Almost none of the salt in Afghan bazaars had iodine in it, but now almost all of it does,” says Mr Baudeau, adding that the project resulted in the opening of 12 iodised salt factories…”

Altai Consulting mentioned in Huffington Post Article: “McGruff the Crime Dog in Afghanistan: Battling the Taliban’s Influence in Schools”

“…According to Aschkan Abdul-Malek, of Altai Consulting “The operating and maintenance costs for education in Afghanistan in 2012 are estimated at $170 million, and expected to rise to $235 million in 2014. However, the current budget for operations and maintenance, which doesn’t include teachers’ salaries, is $38 million. As such, without operating and maintenance funding as a priority, much of the investment from the last decade may fall into disrepair or disuse very soon after the transition. Closing this funding gap is critical to the long-term sustainability of Afghanistan…””

A newly released assessment of the Afghan media, conducted by Altai Consulting with funding from USAID, is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. First, its findings shed valuable light on the current state of Afghanistan’s media, as well as Afghans’ perceptions of the media. One of the more interesting findings is that many Afghans praise state-run network RTA, despite its government bias, partly because the privately run stations are considered too “uncontrolled”.

The study, the first large-scale survey of mental health among young people in Afghanistan, found that one in five schoolchildren in northern Afghanistan is likely to suffer from a psychiatric disorder, and that day-to-day violence and stress were as much the cause of the children’s suffering as the war-related brutalities they witnessed.
Extensive coverage including Daily Telegraph, BBC, Channel 4.

Emmanuel de Dinechin comments on Afghanistan’s economic situation and perpectives.

“…L’un part en mission à la frontière du Pakistan, le deuxième a plusieurs rendez-vous, le troisième, fébrile sur son ordinateur, doit conclure un rapport… On est pourtant à Kaboul. Pas à Londres, Paris ou New York ! Comment imaginer que, dans un pays considéré comme l’un des plus pauvres du monde, de jeunes entrepreneurs mènent une activité si trépidante ?…”

En 2004, Emmanuel de Dinechin, Eric Davin et Rodolphe Baudeau (Essec) raflent un Mercure des entrepreneurs grâce à leur société Altai Consulting, cofondée l’année précédente en Afghanistan. 8 ans plus tard, l’entreprise spécialisée dans le conseil en stratégie travaille dans une vingtaine de pays émergents, en Afrique, au Moyen-Orient et en Asie centrale.