Solar-Powered IT Center for Toko-Toko, Benin

Hi, my name is John Downes and I'm fundraising on behalf of my friend Hafizou Adjaha from the village of Toko-Toko, an up-and-coming town in the small West African country of Benin. With the help of some start-up financing, Hafizou would like to open a computing center to serve the needs of the town's growing population.

A bit about how this project came about... I served as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in Toko-Toko from 2016-2018. Hafizou's father was the king of a local ethnic group (Lokpa) and was also a member of the village gardening cooperative with which I worked. I stayed with the family for weeks at the start of my service as I learned the language and they helped introduce me to the village. Sadly, Hafizou's father passed away and he was forced to cut his studies short at one of the national universities to come home and tend to his family. He has since obtained his degree but remains in the village, putting his business dreams on hold for the time being. I remained close to the family throughout my time and Benin and would like to begin repaying them and my village for all that I have been given.

Toko-Toko is a booming market town, welcoming new arrivals each year from all over Benin and West Africa due to its strategic location on a paved highway between Togo and Nigeria. However, the town is not connected to an electrical grid and remains out of the purview of many government programs due to its relative isolation far from the capital. The villagers do what they can to provide services and start businesses, but the lack of electricity and access to finance pose major constraints to the town's development. Essentially, the village has grown quickly and cannot satisfy the needs of its growing population.

One major area in which Toko-Toko lags is information technology. The town hosts a large high school (CEG, or Centre d'Enseignement Générale) and multiple primary schools. The teachers need access to computers and printers in order to send documents and print out assignments and lessons, as well as make photo-copies. Currently, teachers are forced to travel to the nearest city (Djougou) which is 40 km at great personal cost and pay a premium for IT services. This applies to all teachers in this far corner of Benin, including those at secluded rural schools off the main road. The center would also be used by the students of the village, who have no access to computers (besides smart phones) and thus lack the technological skills that are necessary to find employment outside of agriculture. Hafizou envisions that the center would be run as an NGO of sorts, providing IT lessons and employment for the village's young population dreaming of a life outside of their small town. It would also have considerable spillover effects, helping other local businesses modernize and employ digital technologies.

There is a definite and immediate need for an IT center in Toko-Toko. An interesting aspect of the project is its environmental sustainability: the start-up funds would partly be used to purchase large solar panels which would furnish power for the center's operations. This is exciting for me, as it would function as an example for the village of the attractiveness of solar power on a large scale. Currently, the town's power needs are satisfied through costly and polluting fuel-powered generators. This is neither environmentally nor economically sustainable; gas prices fluctuate wildly due to reliance on black market fuel from Nigeria, and second-hand machines break down constantly. Projects such as this can prove the feasibility of solar power to villagers and can lock in path dependency so that solar power is the preferred source, even if the grid is extended to the village one day.

Hafizou is well-equipped to manage this project. He holds an Economics degree from the University of Parakou and is trained in accounting and project management. His network will allow him to gain access to any guidance he may need, and his knowledge of the local market will make procurement cost-effective. The project will begin immediately once funds can be secured. I hold a Master's degree in Global Human Development from Georgetown University and currently work for the World Bank; I will be available every step of the way with technical guidance and will insist on status reports and accounting of spending.

Hafizou is not looking for hand-outs; rather, he hopes to instill in his village a spirit of entrepreneurship. He has offered to reimburse with interest any money donated once the project is sustainable and this can be arranged if you so desire. Attached is a Business Plan (in French) that he created, in order to demonstrate the thought that went into this project. Please reach out if you would like any more information- I hope you will find the inspiration to give and encourage self-help, environmental sustainability, and youth empowerment in West Africa!