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Bright Innovations
Scaling inclusive distribution channels in Nigeria and Bangladesh
Testing innovations to unlock the social impact of last-mile distribution.
Partners
Unilever, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Expertise
Marketing & Distribution,
Inclusive Business Empowerment
Sectors
Water, sanitation and hygiene, Food and agriculture
Markets
Nigeria, Bangladesh
Timeline
2019-2021
Economic opportunities for rural women
Despite high GDP growth rates in Nigeria and Bangladesh, economic growth is not equally distributed across the population. Women, particularly those in rural areas, are disproportionately impacted by protracted unemployment, with limited access to training and economic opportunities.
Unilever, through its inclusive distribution programmes, has empowered thousands of micro-entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Bangladesh with income-generating opportunities. To scale this impact even further, Bopinc is working with Unilever to test innovative approaches that will improve the commercial viability and social impact of these models.
Impact
Supporting access to beneficial products
4
Companies supported in the design and implementation of product and business model innovations
222
entrepreneurs trained
335.000
low-income consumers reached with new or improved products and services
Testing innovations to improve the scalability of last-mile distribution
Last-mile distribution can be costly, due to households limited purchasing power and distances from each other. However, innovations in business models can help reduce the costs to serve rural areas and also improve the incomes of micro-entrepreneurs .
Bright Innovations is testing three innovations that, if successful, can unlock scale and increase the social impact of last-mile distribution. The innovations include:
- Innovation 1: Partnerships with new suppliers
- Innovation 2: Digital skills development
- Innovation 3: Behavior Change Campaigns
Timeline
Project milestones
Discover
Insights gathering to understand current context, challenges and opportunities
Define
Develop and test pilot models
Develop
Learn from pilot, iterate and test new model
Deliver
Validate business model and scale