Charting the Change from BPO to BoP: Training the Next Generation of Skilled Labor in India( Can Nigeria learn a thing or two)

Culled from Business fights povertyhttp://www.businessfightspoverty.org/profiles/blogs/charting-the-change-from-bpo-to-bop-training-the-next-generation

Related

Blog: Creating Shared Value in India

Blog: Danone and the BoP

Link: Next Billion

By Arvinda Perumbala, Head of Application Development, Laurus Edutech

Before the services industry boom, the choice for a young graduate in India was very limited. You had to be an engineer or doctor to even think of getting into decent salary league, let alone high-paying salary league.

No one can deny the business process outsourcing (BPO) boom was the ultimate game changer, as the services industry empowered a vast middle class with the kind of career options that young India had long desired. For new BPO workers, the boom raised awareness of globalization, while giving them more to spend and to save. The phenomena directly reflects India’s GDP growth in the last 20 years.


I entered the services industry in 2000 as a software engineer in a BPO start up; I was the first software programmer the company hired. For more than a decade, I worked on workflow automation, human resource workforce management automation, knowledge management tools, and productivity improvement through optical character recognition technologies. While there, I also developed two patents for process improvements, and my skills grew along with the broader BPO industry. The small BPO firm grew rapidly, and two major technology companies later purchased it.

After ten years, I left the enterprise confident, stable and strong, much like the industry itself. To say that the BPO industry paved a way for the vast educated middle class and gave wings to their aspirations would be an understatement.

I’m typical of many of the entrepreneurs and professionals who benefitted from the BPO boom. We are both are thankful for the opportunities it has provided, but we also hope to drive India’s nascent Base of the Pyramid sector. The Indian government is spending a huge amount of money in training BoP candidates to skill them in their chosen field. The government has set an aggressive goal to train more than 500 million people by 2022.

Dealing with that challenge will require a scalable training solution to bridge the skills gap. Most approaches thus far have been community-oriented, low-tech training programs. Formed as NGOs, they have addressed the problem from the human angle, but have not had the capacity to address the market challenge. (Left: A Laurus Edutech welding class).

At Laurus Edutech, an Anavo Global LLC company, our goal is to help students attain the training they need and that employers are demanding of the labor force, while helping skills training/development centers to maximize efficiency and training quality. (Anavo is a NextBillion Content Partner). Laurus Edutech provides vocational training directly to students and assessment support services to industry and government organizations. The job placement and skills portal, www.skillindia.in, enables training/development centers to track students’ progress in the future, helping training centers to respond to the needs of the market more quickly.

Laurus has helped train more than 20,000 students in 80 centers across the country, and our software is running in more than 700 locations. With GloCare, another Anavo firm, we’ve developed a similar platform helping doctors in cities to treat rural patients via mobile phones, tablets, and computer videoconferencing. This combination of decision support tools and point-of-care diagnostic tools is designed to bring rural, low-income patients into the formal health care system to pay for affordable treatment.

Serving the BOP market, either the student/workers or rural patients, is certainly a different process than serving the BPO market, where many of our customers were multinational companies, including Dell, which purchased the company. But just as services industry improved the quality due to the market place demands, workers’ skill quality is being refined based on market demands. With the right mix of vision, resources and will, I believe we can take this to take this industry to great heights and lift the aspirations of BoP workers, just as the BPO did for me and millions of others.

Posted by BFP Editor on August 12, 2012 at 21:00

Editor's Note:
This Blog was first published on Next Billion and is reproduced here with permission.

Small images in article courtesy of Laurus Edutech.

You only live once but if you do it right, once is enough- Mae West

Celebrate with me in style!

As I turn a year older today, at least I do not have to worry about infant mortality death. Its obvious I survived it!(Abi now! ) But that is not the same for many of africa's babies, born into poor families. For them they only live in hope to survive to their 5th birthday. One such baby is BABY K (not real name). A sister friend Betty Abah & I, met baby Kay and his mother when we were informed of their plight. She was held at the private hospital due to lack of payment of her bills where she had been rushed to, to give birth earlier than her due date and registration at the local hospital. On getting her out of hospital, we visited her at home. To find that, this is where this new born child and his mother and 5 siblings live broke my heart

Her husband had died a few months earlier from a work place accident and his employer had given the family a token of N5,000- N10,000 naira as compensation.
They are not forgotten as we continue to raise funds and materials for them, that is why on this occassion of my birthday, I am asking every single one wishing me well to please help, they need us, and thanks to close friends who have already made donations ,now is your turn and nothing is too small!


To donate cash or kind in Nigeria pls email
bettyabah@gmail.com
If you want to make donation in kind from abroad
please email
info@arisenigerianwoman.org

or pls pay cash into
Lloyds TSB
sort code: 30- 96 29
Acct No 11188968


All cash and kind donation shall be made public at the end of May 2012.

Thank You for helping!

Birthday Girl!

Why Nations Fail

www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/opinion/sunday/friedman-why-nations-fail.html?_r=1

 

I’M reading a fascinating new book called “Why Nations Fail.” The more you read it, the more you appreciate what a fool’s errand we’re on in Afghanistan and how much we need to totally revamp our whole foreign aid strategy. But most intriguing are the warning flares the authors put up about both America and China.

 

Thomas L. Friedman

 

Co-authored by the M.I.T. economist Daron Acemoglu and the Harvard political scientist James A. Robinson, “Why Nations Fail” argues that the key differentiator between countries is “institutions.” Nations thrive when they develop “inclusive” political and economic institutions, and they fail when those institutions become “extractive” and concentrate power and opportunity in the hands of only a few.

“Inclusive economic institutions that enforce property rights, create a level playing field, and encourage investments in new technologies and skills are more conducive to economic growth than extractive economic institutions that are structured to extract resources from the many by the few,” they write.

“Inclusive economic institutions, are in turn supported by, and support, inclusive political institutions,” which “distribute political power widely in a pluralistic manner and are able to achieve some amount of political centralization so as to establish law and order, the foundations of secure property rights, and an inclusive market economy.” Conversely, extractive political institutions that concentrate power in the hands of a few reinforce extractive economic institutions to hold power.

Acemoglu explained in an interview that their core point is that countries thrive when they build political and economic institutions that “unleash,” empower and protect the full potential of each citizen to innovate, invest and develop. Compare how well Eastern Europe has done since the fall of communism with post-Soviet states like Georgia or Uzbekistan, or Israel versus the Arab states, or Kurdistan versus the rest of Iraq. It’s all in the institutions.

The lesson of history, the authors argue, is that you can’t get your economics right if you don’t get your politics right, which is why they don’t buy the notion that China has found the magic formula for combining political control and economic growth.

“Our analysis,” says Acemoglu, “is that China is experiencing growth under extractive institutions — under the authoritarian grip of the Communist Party, which has been able to monopolize power and mobilize resources at a scale that has allowed for a burst of economic growth starting from a very low base,” but it’s not sustainable because it doesn’t foster the degree of “creative destruction” that is so vital for innovation and higher incomes.

“Sustained economic growth requires innovation,” the authors write, “and innovation cannot be decoupled from creative destruction, which replaces the old with the new in the economic realm and also destabilizes established power relations in politics.”

“Unless China makes the transition to an economy based on creative destruction, its growth will not last,” argues Acemoglu. But can you imagine a 20-year-old college dropout in China being allowed to start a company that challenges a whole sector of state-owned Chinese companies funded by state-owned banks? he asks.

The post-9/11 view that what ailed the Arab world and Afghanistan was a lack of democracy was not wrong, said Acemoglu. What was wrong was thinking that we could easily export it. Democratic change, to be sustainable, has to emerge from grassroots movements, “but that does not mean there is nothing we can do,” he adds.

For instance, we should be transitioning away from military aid to regimes like Egypt and focusing instead on enabling more sectors of that society to have a say in politics. Right now, I’d argue, our foreign aid to Egypt, Pakistan and Afghanistan is really a ransom we pay their elites not to engage in bad behavior. We need to turn it into bait.

Acemoglu suggests that instead of giving Cairo another $1.3 billion in military aid that only reinforces part of the elite, we should insist that Egypt establish a committee representing all sectors of its society that would tell us which institutions — schools, hospitals — they want foreign aid to go to, and have to develop appropriate proposals.

If we’re going to give money, “let’s use it to force them to open up the table and to strengthen the grass-roots,” says Acemoglu.

We can only be a force multiplier. Where you have grass-roots movements that want to build inclusive institutions, we can enhance them. But we can’t create or substitute for them. Worse, in Afghanistan and many Arab states, our policies have often discouraged grass-roots from emerging by our siding with convenient strongmen. So there’s nothing to multiply. If you multiply zero by 100, you still get zero.

And America? Acemoglu worries that our huge growth in economic inequality is undermining the inclusiveness of America’s institutions, too. “The real problem is that economic inequality, when it becomes this large, translates into political inequality.” When one person can write a check to finance your whole campaign, how inclusive will you be as an elected official to listen to competing voices?

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on April 1, 2012, on page SR13 of the New York edition with the headline: Why Nations Fail.

 

World Bank removes Nigeria, others from aids' list

 

Developing countries including Nigeria are no longer candidates for charity and aid from developing countries, the World Bank has said. The outgoing World Bank President, Robert Zoellick, disclosed this at the on-going International Monetary Fund/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC, United States of America. Specifically, he said since the “developing countries have provided two-thirds of global growth over the past years, these are no longer charity cases.”

Noting that developing countries “are vital to the world economy,” Zoellick, whose five-year tenure elapses on June 30, this year, nonetheless, stressed the need for both developing and developed countries to focus on structural reforms that will be the drivers of future growth, “otherwise the world will keep stumbling along.” In Sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank chief said the countries must work to remove barriers to the great economic potential of the region and seek to achieve regional integration, which he said is the way to go.

Giving an appraisal of his tenure, Zoellick said: ”Our initiatives for open information, open data, and open access to knowledge may turn out to be the most important legacy of the past five years.” The outgoing World Bank boss noted that he took over the World Bank presidency at a crisis period and his tenure has had three phases starting from a turnaround from trouble times. He said about $250 trillion have been spent is support of countries across the globe for food, fuel and to mitigate financial crisis. In addition, he disclosed that modernisation of the Bank for the future was initiated during his tenure.

This, he said, is in addition to the first large recapitalisation of the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) in over 20 years, and two record-breaking International Development Association (IDA) replenishments totaling more than $90 billion with an AAA rating.

Speaking on the effects of the Arab spring, Zoellick said the Tunisians’economy is under severe stress since the country lost a lot to the uprising; just as Libya now needs capacity to build its enormous resources. He noted that the North African economies’ transformation is going to take a while. On his successor, Zoellick said: “I think he will do a great job”and wished him and others success.”

Earlier in his congratulation message, Zoellick, said: “Jim has seen poverty and vulnerability first hand, through his impressive work in developing countries. and his rigorous science-based drive for results will be invaluable for the World Bank Group as it modernises to better serve client countries in overcoming poverty.
http://www.africanliberty.org/content/world-bank-removes-nigeria-others-aids-list

Only Africans Can Develop Africa, Says Nigerian Philanthropist Tony Elumelu

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Tony Elumelu With Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair

Nigerian banker and philanthropist Tony Elumelu was recently in Washington D.C., where he reiterated his belief that Africans themselves will be at the forefront of the continent’s economic renaissance.
“No one can develop Africa but us [Africans].” That was Nigerian philanthropist Tony Elumelu’s message to international business leaders, global philanthropic organizations and Western development partners during the Global Philanthropy Forum annual conference in Washington D.C on Tuesday.

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Meet Tony Elumelu, Africa's Frontline Business Leader 

 

Elumelu, founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, was among the keynote speakers at the annual forum event. He told attendees that Africa’s private sector will be the leading player in contributing to the continent’s economic transformation.
“We are now the world’s fastest growing region,” Elumelu said. “There is a social and economic impact to be derived, but it needs to be done with the right approach – with African leadership and with the private sector, rather than from a charitable orientation.”
Elumelu also seized the opportunity to introduce the audience to Africapitalism, an economic philosophy that embodies the private sector’s commitment to the economic transformation of Africa through long-term investments that create both economic prosperity and social wealth.
A day before he spoke at the Global Philanthropy Forum, Elumelu delivered an African investment-themed lecture to senior management and invited guests of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank, in Washington. During the lecture, he urged those looking to invest in Africa to demonstrate social responsibility even in the pursuit of economic prosperity.
“Investment in Africa needs a different perspective,” he told the audience. “For Africa’s economic growth, the private sector needs to take the lead, invest long term, and focus on making both economic and social gains. In my experience, we have made great profits, but we have also touched lives.”
During the week, the respected banker also honored an invitation from the World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick to participate in a meeting of his Advisory Council of Global Foundation Leaders. Other attendees at the meeting included founders and key representatives from philanthropies like the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others from Europe, Asia and Latin America. At the meeting, Elumelu advocated for strategic partnerships between the World Bank and philanthropic organizations in emerging economies as well as setting high standards and introducing legislation to foster the development of domestic philanthropic sectors.
“We have an emerging affluent class in Africa. Unfortunately, the institution of giving has not been professionalized,” he lamented. “We need the legal structures in place to really leverage Africa’s own wealth to set the continent’s development agenda from within.”

Elumelu, one of Africa’s most respected business leaders, famously acquired a moribund commercial bank in Lagos in 1997 and transformed it into the $2 billion (market capitalization) United Bank for Africa (UBA), a Pan-African financial services behemoth with a presence in 19 countries and 3 continents. He stepped down as CEO of the bank in 2010, and now serves as Executive Chairman of Heirs Holdings, an African-focused investment holding company, and the Tony Elumelu Foundation, a non-profit that promotes and celebrates African entrepreneurship and leadership.
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Do Brothers Care Enough About Sexual Assault?

http://www.ebony.com/news-views/do-brothers-care-enough-about-sexual-assault

   Rape isn't a women's issue, but Mychal Denzel Smith says that far too many men seem to treat it as such

By Mychal Denzel Smith Writer

As I recently listened to Nas’ 1999 album I Am--a record I'd always considered to be somewhat underrated-- when the song “Dr. Knockboot” came on and made me rethink my position. Not only is the song an atrociously awkward guide to becoming a “sexpert,” Nas drops this gem: “DON'T: take the pussy, if she fighting/Cause you saw what happened to Tupac and Mike Tyson/'Specially if you large, some hoes is trife/Get you on a rape charge, have you serving your life.”

It was disturbing, not just content-wise, but for the callousness in his voice. From his tone, the prospect of the rape charge and subsequent punishment was exponentially worse than the rape itself. It calls into question the way we think of rape and what we teach men in particular about sexual violence, ultimately coming down to the idea that women have a right to their bodies only because it’s illegal to take what is rightfully yours. That’s scary.
I’d love to write this off as the thoughts of a singular man, but looking back on events of just the past year or two tell a different story. Whether it was the gang-rape of an 11 year-old girl in Cleveland, Texas, or the alleged assault of Nafissatou Diallo at the hands of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, or Too $hort’s “fatherly advice” on XXL’s website that amounted to a step-by-step guide for effective sexual assault, or even the rhetoric of the current “war on women” and the push for mandating transvaginal ultrasounds as a precondition for abortion, the message comes in from every corner of society: women’s bodies don’t belong to them. And with that mentality, why would anyone take sexual assault/violence of women seriously?
A glance at the statistics should frustrate everyone. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), 1 in 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape during her life, with 44% of victims being under the age of 18. There is an average of 207,754 victims of rape or sexual assault per year, or one in every two minutes. Those are just the numbers. Victims of sexual assault are more likely to suffer depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, abuse alcohol and/or drugs, and contemplate suicide.
By contrast, 97% of rapists will never spend so much as a day in jail. This isn’t a plot used to trap men or enact revenge. If it were, it’s highly ineffective. Even as the rate of rape/sexual assault declines, far too many are left to experience this inexcusable crime, and the indifference on the part of men is a contributing factor.
Cold feelings on issues of sexual assault not only robs men of their empathy and humanity, it prevents them from dealing with their own instances of abuse. One in 33 American men (3%) have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their life. It’s obviously not as prevalent as among women, but it’s a problem nonetheless, one exacerbated by an unwillingness to come to terms with its existence.
A brother I worked with years ago once told me, and these are his exact words, “I was molested when I was six years old, but I was aight because it was a bitch. That’s why I’m a freak now.” That mix of denial and hypermasculine posturing would be a gift to any psychologist, but it speaks to a larger cultural issue.
We can’t solve the problem of rape/sexual assault/sexual violence if we don’t understand what it is, who it affects, and how it affects them. We can’t understand any of that if we possess a callous indifference to the fact that anyone experiences sexual assault. We can’t afford to let our humanity slip away.
Mychal Denzel Smith is a writer, social commentator and mental health advocate. Visit his official website or follow him on Twitter.