Corporate backing of £30million ($52m) is being sought for a United
Nations-supported initiative to build economic capacity in Africa by
helping African firms manufacture tents, blankets and other disaster
relief materials for use in humanitarian efforts across the continent.
Advance Aid has two main aims – improving emergency relief response
times in Africa by stockpiling supplies locally, and stimulating
home-grown entrepreneurship and business activity as a way of tackling
poverty. Western companies are being asked to provide the money over
three years to pay companies to produce the first stocks of goods, and
to give business advice and mentoring to African companies fulfilling
orders.
David Dickie, director of Advance Aid, stressed that this was not
charity, but a business initiative. He told EP: ‘In a disaster
situation in Africa, thousands of people die waiting for aid to arrive
while it is flown in from all over the world on expensive charters of
aircraft. Our solution is to pre-position enough emergency relief
materials in East and West Africa to save up to one million potential
victims in case of disaster, and not only that – to have all these
materials manufactured in Africa to stimulate local economies.’
A group of more than 30 non-governmental organizations, including World
Vision, the Red Cross, the Red Crescent and Save the Children, have
agreed in principle to award contracts to African companies to
manufacture emergency relief goods. The NGOs will stockpile them for
use when necessary, paying to replenish stocks with new orders as items
are used.
Western companies will be needed to pay for the goods initially, give
management advice to African companies fulfilling the orders and
provide employee volunteers to fill skills gaps and offer training.
Advance Aid says the idea has been ‘well received’ in the first
approaches to a small number of large companies. It has been
emphasizing that, apart from enabling companies to become involved in
disaster relief, the initiative will bring direct business benefits by
providing access to Africa’s emerging markets and local partnerships,
and offering opportunities for employee volunteering.
With UN assistance, Advance Aid has already identified 9000 factories
in Africa capable of making aid goods. Participants will be audited to
make sure their workplace standards are in line with international
norms. Paul Kapelus, chief executive of the African Institute of Corporate
Citizenship, told EP: ‘The initiative looks very appealing, but it is
critical that the companies established are sustainable and this might
mean ensuring competitive access to other markets for the goods
produced.’
Simon Griffith, projects director of the African Investment Advisory
consultancy, said: ‘My initial response is that this is a great
initiative but I would like to see these [African] companies assured of
regular work and help in finding new markets for their products as they
are encouraged to scale up, so they can survive between emergencies.’
