Getting to the Root of the Problem
Look around many streets of Lagos, Nigeria and tell me the things you see! Buildings, streetlights, electric poles, and unfortunately nonetheless, some pile of waste. Those who are conversant with how things go in the state will testify that you need not look far to find a stray heap of garbage. It could lie down the road or even in the residences of the citizens. There is no gainsaying the negative impact of such ugly sites. It contributes in releasing greenhouse gases that pollutes the air we breathe which is harmful to both your health and mine.
In a bid to solve the problem, the selected fellows at the Innovate for Africa Pilot programme took the bull by the horn to participate in a recently concluded hackathon. A high-level definition for a Hackathon could be an event of any duration where people come together to solve problems. Participants typically form groups of about 2-5 individuals, take out their laptops (if the event is technology themed), and dive into problems. Training workshops are a great parallel track especially for newcomers but also for all participants. Prior to this event, we had a workshop on design thinking which elaborated the systematic process of problem solving from the problem definition to its solution. Such sessions are critical to evaluate a problem and so, brainstorm on possible solutions, pick out the best and develop a value proposition.
My team comprised four members of diverse backgrounds ranging from economics, to physical sciences and engineering. We had a series of virtual meetings throughout the 48 hours of the event. Going from the broad view of waste management associated pain points, we narrowed down the problem to its root cause: delay in waste collection by the Waste Management body. This governmental body, which partners with some private waste collectors have a routine operational mode for collecting the garbage from the residences, office buildings, factories of their customers. The customers, on the other hand, pay a fixed subscription monthly depending on the nearness to the dumpsites and the economic stratification of the area.
To begin with, we developed questions surrounding waste management to help us launch out into the market to garner the right data. This helped us understand the broad customer view and if the problem was worth solving. The primary market research gave us insights as to the weaknesses of the existing business model as customers unanimously lamented their dissatisfaction with the Waste Management Agency. This distaste is due to the delay in waste collection. The agency typically fails to collect the waste as at when due i.e. on the agreed days. Peering further to the cause of the delay, we found out that the dump trucks normally breakdown after a short while and so typically, there is a shortfall in the number of trucks to meet the demand. This problem results to having heaps of garbage around the environment since the customers wants to get rid of this waste from their houses.
Our Solution
What if you, as a customer could determine an appropriate time for the waste you generated to be collected? This is as opposed to the normal method whereby the company determines this for you. Consider being able to place an order for this from the convenience of your home using our mobile app. What’s more, you get the value of what you pay for since you will are charged based on only the weight of your waste as against the normal subscription, which may fail due to truck downtime.