Third Tech
TEAM 11: CAMERON WEINERT, PHUOC VAN, SAMANTHA KROUSE,
SARAH GARCIA, STEPHEN WHITE
Product – The Recycled Roof
• The recycled roof is designed for use in developing countries that are situated in tropical climates.
• Utilization of plastic bottles allows for protection from the elements, while allowing the circulation of air
throughout the buildings, thus providing relief for those often without AC
Market Analysis – Senegal, Africa
• Most houses are built with mud bricks
with thatched roofs. Some houses are
built of discarded medals and woods.
• With the lack of “improved”
technologies like electricity, plumbing
and piped water systems, and an
agriculture-based economy, there are
not a lot of modern material available
for them construct their homes.
• Therefore, they are more susceptible
to a new and inexpensive way to build
their roof.
REGION/
COUNTRY
POPULATION
GDP GROWTH
POVERTY
LABOR
West Africa
290
5.8
50
60
Million
Included 16
countries
Percent
GDP of 5.89
annually over the
past 10 years
Percent
Half of West Africa
live on less than
$1.25 per day
Percent
Agricultural employs
60% of labor, accounts
for 35% GDP
13.68
3.5
46.7
57
Million
Percent
Annual GDP
growth
Percent
People living below
national poverty line
Percent
Agriculture employs
57% of labor.
Senegal
Social/Political/Economic Analysis
•A relatively stable, multiparty, and competitive democracy in comparison to other Sub-Saharan states
•Their economy still depends heavily on foreign assistance, which represents 32% of their overall
government spending
• The Senegalese may be open to United States assistance (in the form of our microloan program) without heavy
trade barriers.
•The amount of raw recyclable plastic materials present in Senegal is currently high(2006 Really Rubbish
Campaign)
• Obtaining these necessary plastics should prove to be relatively easy, as trash and other recyclables are known
to pile up along city streets as well as in rural communities.
•Poverty and unemployment is still widespread, especially outside Dakar’s city limits with subsistence
agriculture and small, debt ridden businesses being the most common occupations.
•Our microloan programs are designed to create a way for families to raise themselves out of cyclical
debt and create an income in the future.
• Many European businesses and non-profits have successfully created their own microloan programs in Senegal
previously, although none have been in the attempt to produce recycled plastic roofing.
Pricing Strategy
Microfinancing
• Microfinance is also the idea that low-income individuals are capable of lifting themselves out of poverty if given access to
financial service
• "We have observed that when the most underprivileged people have access to credit, the livelihood improves instantly", Madina
Assouman, from the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Dakar
• These financial services involve loaning small amounts of money to people in need to get their business started
• Average loan in Africa is $323 (visionfund.org)
Roofs and Income
• Families can create roof building companies that not only supplies income to themselves, but also offers jobs for other
people in the community
• Unemployment rate is 48% (cia.gov)
• Due to the large amounts of trash in the cities, there are no expenses needed to buy the plastic water bottles
• the Mbeubeuss landfill that more than 1,300 tons of garbage per day (idrc.ca)
• This allows the product to be sold substantially less and still have a good profit earned
• More profit allows more workers to be hired, which increases the money flow in the city.
Implementation
•Go into the cities and slum regions of Senegal
and show the locals the product
•Build roofs on site to demonstrate the
simplicity of the technology and how easy it is
to gather resources
•Teach the locals about running a business and
explaining options on how to sell the product
•Returns are planned to be small with
individual loans because our main purpose is
to get the poverty level down and income
increasing in the community.
Third Tech
TEAM 11: CAMERON WEINERT, PHUOC VAN, SAMANTHA KROUSE,
SARAH GARCIA, STEPHEN WHITE