QShop is a Nigerian online platform that provides “businesses [with] a quick and easy way to build e-commerce websites,” according to How we made it in Africa. The QShop platform specifically targets markets in Nigeria and Africa, focusing on small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). QShop helps Nigerian SMEs to transition to e-commerce so that businesses can expand their markets and see increased growth.
Poverty in Nigeria and the Role of SMEs
A new World Bank report, “A Better Future for All Nigerians: Nigeria Poverty Assessment 2022,” reveals that four out of 10 people in Nigeria live below the national poverty line. In the last quarter of 2020, the unemployment rate in Nigeria stood at 33%.
However, a 2010 report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) says Nigeria’s SME sector has the potential to “absorb up to 80[%] of jobs, improve per capita income, increase value addition to raw materials supply, improve export earnings, enhance capacity utilization in key industries and unlock economic expansion and GDP growth.”
The Nigerian SME sector plays a crucial role in attenuating poverty. PricewaterhouseCoopers says SMEs are “the backbone of major developed economies.” In the five years preceding 2010, SMEs in Nigeria contributed 48% to the country’s GDP. Furthermore, SMEs accounted for 96% of businesses in Nigeria and 84% of employment. The QShop platform aims to support SMEs in Nigeria, encouraging even further growth.
How QShop Helps Nigerian SMEs
E-commerce has become more popular in recent years and a variety of e-commerce website builders are available for companies of all sizes, including Shopify, Square and Ecwid. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, business closures and restrictions on operations pushed business owners to look for online solutions, leading to a higher demand for e-commerce-as-a-service solutions.
Tarebi Alebiosu, the founder of QShop, told Vanguard that amid the pandemic, technology played a vital role in the survival of small businesses. She established QShop with the specific intent of helping SMEs run their businesses online.
Head of technology at QShop, Harrison Hammond, said to Vanguard: “At QShop, we want to help customers grow from zero to a hundred with technology. We serve as the middle-man to bring all the tools — websites, inventory, payment channels and logistics — to one place.”
QShop helps Nigerian SMEs by being more affordable than many other e-commerce sites and pricing its paid subscriptions in nairas and not dollars. “Right now, nobody wants to incur costs linked to the dollar as our currency is experiencing serious devaluation,” Alebiosu said to How we made it in Africa.
QShop offers business owners a free and paid subscription. Businesses can opt for the free subscription where the company “takes 4% off every transaction, but there is no monthly fee.” About 5% of QShop clients are utilizing the paid subscription, as of November 2022, while the others utilize the free subscription. “We make money only if our clients are selling,” says Alebiosu to How we made it in Africa. The free tier ensures that businesses do not lose money if they initially struggle to sell.
The Future
So far, merchants have shown a significant amount of interest in QShop since its introduction. As of May 2022, the company has more than 10,000 SMEs registered and has processed more than $500,000 USD in seller sales. With the help of partnerships with Stripe, Flutterwave, Paystack and Providus Bank, merchants can receive funds in any currency.
The COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted Nigeria’s economy. However, this new platform has the potential to help small and medium enterprises thrive in an increasingly digital world. The positive impacts of QShop may reignite economic growth and reduce poverty among Nigerians.
– Caterina Rossi
Photo: Flickr
Lymphedema in Ethiopia: Tackling Podoconiosis
The cause of the disease is direct contact with the red clay soil. After people have prolonged contact with the soil on their feet, they start to suffer from itching and burning of their feet, followed by swelling if left untreated. Other causes include misunderstanding of the disease, lack of proper shoes, soap and water and moisturizer.
Treatment usually includes minimizing exposure to irritant soils by wearing shoes, washing feet with antiseptic soap and water to remove the soil, moisturizing skin and applying compression bandages as needed. Wearing proper footwear consistently is the best and most cost-effective prevention method.
Burden on People’s Health
Individuals with the disease experience physical disability, emotional distress and poor quality of life. Increased size and weight of legs make it difficult for the person to do daily activities, such as standing or walking. It also prevents the individual from working or finding employment. After lymphedema and skin change becomes chronic, stigmatization occurs. Affected people often cannot attend school, religious events or local meetings.
Impact on Poverty
It is tough for the poor and barefooted farmers of Ethiopia to defeat the disease because they are often unable to afford protective shoes. Research about early prevention of the disease relating to Ethiopian children indicated that high-income families are likely to have larger numbers of protective footwear, and thus less likely to contract the disease than low-income families.
The disease keeps people from working, and that puts the already afflicted rural farmers unable to create income. A study conducted in one of the southern areas of Ethiopia showed that the cost of podoconiosis is more than $16 million per year due to acute inflammation and swelling of the legs. Also, each affected person loses 45% of their working days per year.
The Latest Progress
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health has been working on ending this illness via the “National Neglected Tropical Diseases Master Plan,” updating the initiative every five years since 2012. Organizations, such as Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute and the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, collaborated with WHO to map the disease, covering 1,304 communities in Ethiopia. Overall, the partnership was also responsible for finding resources, as well as monitoring and controlling the disease. Among 345 targeted districts for Podoconiosis control, 150 have received treatment and prevention services and the country managed 67,588 lymphedema cases from 2016 to 2020.
Potential Partners
Mossy Foot Project is an NGO that has been supporting people with Podoconiosis since 2000. They provide protective shoes including oversized ones without charge. They also perform foot washing and bandaging treatment for lymphedema at several clinics in the country.
Soles 4 Souls, The Shoe That Grows and Samaritan’s Feet are nonprofit organizations providing free shoes for the poor. They could be prospective donors for Ethiopian farmers. The Shoe That Grows program is specifically for children who need shoes but cannot afford a new pair every time their feet grow. Their shoes can expand in 5 sizes, so a kid can wear them for a longer time.
Podoconiosis, neglected tropical lymphedema in Ethiopia, has been an issue for the health and economy, especially those in underserved rural areas. Yet, the effort in fighting the disease has been growing as well. Continued support, such as providing shoes and foot hygiene, will result in the elimination of this disease and poverty reduction in rural Ethiopia.
– Naomi Kang
Photo: Flickr
Efforts to Boost Youth Employment in The Gambia
Migration and the Impact on Youth Employment in The Gambia
The latest statistics available from The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS) indicate that the youth unemployment rate increased to 41.5% in 2018. A lack of employment opportunities for young people in The Gambia has led to increases in crime as well as the rate of migration. This makes the work of initiatives such as Tekki Fii critical to improving the well-being of Gambians across the country.
While Tekki Fii aimed to provide skills training for entrepreneurship in areas such as agriculture and tourism, the overall goal was to bring future opportunities for youth employment in The Gambia and raise awareness about economic opportunities. The Instituto Marqués de Valle Flòr (IMVF) also emphasized the importance of focusing on women and children as part of the initiative. Additionally, the IMVF targeted domestic economic development programs as a means to tackle high rates of youth migration.
The IMVF also concentrated on the accessibility of skills development for returning migrants, some of whom were denied asylum in other countries. The target geographical locations were the Central River, North Bank, Lower River and Upper River regions of The Gambia.
The International Trade Center (ITC) worked with the Tekki Fii Project as part of its Youth Employment Project. Both initiatives operated from 2017 to 2022. The Youth Employment Project began in 2017 in The Gambia to work with Gambian youths and returning migrants. While it focused on long-standing industries such as agriculture, the ITC also supported newer sectors such as digital services.
Successes of the Initiative
Overall, the Tekki Fii project helped to decrease poverty and boost youth employment in The Gambia. The program created more than 9,500 employment opportunities and provided training for almost 7,500 individuals. After five years of work, the closing ceremony for the program under the ITC took place on November 18, 2022, in Banjul.
Following Tekki Fii, The Gambia will now implement the New National Employment Policy and Action Plan from 2022 to 2026. The national plan continues similar initiatives of the Tekki Fii Project such as skill development for entrepreneurship and businesses, opportunities for women and youth and the creation of 150,000 jobs by the end of the plan.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs affirms the goals of the National Employment Policy and Action Plan with its National Development Plan. The plan proposes eight broad priorities such as the stabilization of the economy and building infrastructure. The plan also emphasizes seven more specific steps that contribute to the eight priorities including environmental sustainability and digitalization.
Youth employment in Gambia improved due to worldwide collaborators such as the European Union and the International Trade Center. More Gambian youth will continue to realize the country’s potential through the government’s new development and employment plans.
– Kaylee Messick
Photo: Flickr
Yemen’s Lasting Crisis: Causes for Concern and Hope
Few modern conflicts have been as destructive or long-lasting as Yemen’s. In 2014, Houthi rebels called for the removal of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and seized the capital, Sanaa, proclaiming a new government and attacking regions still loyal to Saleh’s regime. The conflict, protracted by mutual suspicion, involvement by Iran and Saudi Arabia and grotesque human rights violations enters its eighth year with no long-term solutions in sight. More than three-quarters of the population lives in poverty, with high levels of disease and 4 million Yemenis requiring humanitarian assistance. The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, David Gressly, emphasized that the country’s ongoing crisis is something the whole world must “urgently address.”
Troubles and Truces
Although significant, temporary ceasefires brokered by both sides have only made a conclusive deal more elusive. Diplomacy regarding Yemen’s lasting crisis has focused on containment, not lasting solutions, with on-and-off truces being agreed upon since 2016. In 2018, an agreement between the government and the Houthis ended hostilities in the large cities of Sanaa, Hodeidah and Taiz, but broke down after the Houthis failed to live up to other agreements. Houthi rebels failed to renew a six-month truce signed in April 2022, causing fears of further violence.
This should not detract from the importance of the truces in preventing further bloodshed. The most recent ceasefire decreased violence by 60%, allowing nearly 30,000 Yemenis to receive urgent medical care. U.N.-backed efforts in 2018 achieved a two-month truce that averted a major conflict in Yemen’s third-largest city. Although temporary and worrying for Yemen’s long-term stability, these “confidence building” solutions keep both sides open to more lasting discussions.
Poverty in Yemen
Unfortunately, this type of diplomacy leaves much to be desired, with little being done for actual conflict resolution. As Yemen’s civil war continues to drag on, those most at risk are people living under the constant threat of renewed violence. Almost a fifth of the country lives in extreme poverty, and huge swathes of the population do not have access to food or clean water. With the Houthis and the Yemeni government more focused on each other than the people of Yemen, little hope of institutional aid exists.
In this context, it is essential to acknowledge the unsung work of the many extra-governmental organizations providing aid in Yemen. The Red Cross gave more than 6 million Yemenis access to potable water, while more than a million benefited from financial or food assistance in 2021. Operating out of four cities, The Red Cross adapted itself to the multifaceted challenges of the conflict, providing medical consultations, livestock vaccinations and assistance to detainees. The U.N. currently provides humanitarian assistance to more than 10 million Yemenis.
Beyond day-to-day services, the U.N. has taken center stage in dealing with Yemen’s lasting crisis. Beginning in 2012, the U.N. created the Development Assistance Framework to improve access to social services and government management. Additionally, both the U.N. special envoy to Yemen and Secretary-General António Guterres called for the Houthi rebels to renew the April truce, to no avail.
The Road Ahead
Yemen’s lasting crisis represents a failure of the international community to decisively end one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts of the 21st century. However, this does not take away from the heroic work of the many individuals and groups assisting the Yemeni people. The breakdown of truce negotiations in October is justifiably a cause for alarm and necessitates a powerful response from international actors. In the meantime, acknowledging and promoting the toil of those looking to improve day-to-day conditions in Yemen will have to suffice.
– Samuel Bowles
Photo: Flickr
How British Warm Banks are Aiding People in Energy Poverty
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. This war has sparked an intense energy supply crisis in the U.K., Europe and other parts of the world. According to a new report that academics at York University published, 53 million people, or more than 75% of households, in the U.K. will have ended up in fuel poverty by January 2023. Fuel poverty is typically defined as when energy costs exceed 10% of a household’s net income. British ‘warm banks’ may be a solution.
About 86.4% of pensioner couples in the U.K. may fall into fuel poverty in January 2023 according to estimations. Of single parents, 90.4% of those with two or more children may also suffer from energy poverty. In January 2023, energy bills in the U.K. could top £4,200.
Creating British Warm Banks
The staff at Brickyard Bakery and Academy cookery school, in Westgate Guisborough, Britain, are providing good-natured help. The academy has been opening up a British warm bank above the shop every weekday for citizens to be in a warm place. Bakery and Academy owner Ed Hamilton-Trewhitt has stated that “heat from the bakery’s huge oven was being wasted heating an empty room above.” Hamilton-Twewhitt has subsequently furnished the area in a style full of nostalgia for the British psyche.
For the Community
Hamilton-Trewhitt spoke of the elderly community by stating that “I was worried about them during the pandemic and I’m worried about them now. I’ve got all this extra heat which is just disappearing up through the floorboards.” The owner also stated how “This is completely free, there’s newspapers and magazines and tea and coffee.”
This might just be the attitude necessary to help people survive this winter as the estimated bill of £4,200 per household is quite significant. Hamilton-Trewhitt stated that the bakery had always done its best to help the community and has previously offered free school meals to local children in the style of Marcus Rashford.
Previously, Hamilton-Trewhitt has cooked for the Queen and created dishes at the Ritz Club London.
Other British Warm Banks
British warm banks have opened across the United Kingdom in libraries, museums, cafes and even fire stations. These are publicly owned spaces or ones that are in a relationship with the government, available for the public to escape the cold. Young families, restaurant workers and an NHS cleaner are among those who have taken advantage of the free heat of Gainsborough library in southeast Ipswich. Carla Francesca spent some time here on Thursday with her two-year-old daughter. Francesca reported it was warm and a more cheerful place than her home, which remains unheated during the day to save money.
In a cold winter during a fuel crisis, British warm banks are becoming a significant coping method for the world’s second most altruistic country and making a difference.
– William Fletcher
Photo: Flickr
Elderly Poverty in Palestine
According to a 2021 report from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), only 5% of the population in Palestine is 60 or older. The World Bank reports that Palestine’s poverty rate stood at 27.3% in 2021, a decrease of around 2% from the previous year when the economy deteriorated as a consequence of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elderly people have an increased risk of falling into poverty and the absence of adequate social protection systems exacerbates this vulnerability. The U.N. states that “in most countries, the risk of poverty increases with age.” OECD countries’ data from 2015 indicates that people in the age category of above 75 report poverty levels higher than those in the 66-75 age group. In 2017, the prevalence of elderly poverty in Palestine stood at 27%, equating to 5% of Palestine’s total number of impoverished persons.
4 Facts About Elderly Poverty in Palestine
Looking Ahead
A lack of adequate social safety nets exacerbates elderly poverty in Palestine. In 2020, following the negative impacts of the pandemic on the country, the U.N.’s Joint Sustainable Development Goal Fund, the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) worked with the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development to improve the social protection system. The Joint SDG Fund says, “While the existing Palestinian social protection system is among the most advanced in the region, it is not sufficient to address the needs of the most vulnerable groups.” The collaboration aims to strengthen the social protection system and make it “more inclusive and accessible to older people, particularly women.”
In June 2022, Palestine’s GDP rose by 1.1%. A stronger financial performance may improve the living standards of the population overall.
– Caterina Rossi
Photo: Unsplash
Updates on SDG 2 in Pakistan Amid Floods
In 2015, U.N. Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. These goals provide a “blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.” The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development forms a holistic plan to combat poverty, inequalities, poor health care, extreme weather patterns and more. SDG 2, in particular, aims for zero hunger. With extreme climatic conditions globally and the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, food insecurity levels are rising. As of September 2, 2022, floods in Pakistan have led to water submerging a third of the nation. Almost 1,200 people have died and 3,500 people have faced injuries. Pakistan’s floods have affected 33 million people and 6.6 million of these people face severe impacts. Updates on SDG 2 in Pakistan provide insight into the impacts of the floods on the nation’s progress toward zero hunger.
Updates on SDG 2 In Pakistan: Deteriorating Conditions
Around the globe, SDG progress reduced in 2021 due to slow economic recovery in low- and middle-income countries and the impacts of extreme weather conditions. Pakistan, being both a low-income country and a nation with vulnerability to climatic disasters, lags behind in terms of SDG progress. In 2021, Pakistan ranked 125 out of 163 on the SDGs index and had a score of 59.3, which is lower than the region’s average of 65.9.
One of the updates on SDG 2 in Pakistan is that, especially amid the Russia-Ukraine war, food insecurity has burdened an already struggling economy. The recent floods have exacerbated food insecurity in Pakistan.
Significantly higher rainfall has negatively impacted agricultural lands and livestock as well as transport infrastructure, reducing food access and raising food prices. As of September 22, 2022, 755,000 livestock had died nationwide and 1.9 million people are in need of food and agricultural aid. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Humanitarian Advisory Team also estimates that “73% of households in areas of flooding have inadequate resources to buy food.” Exacerbated food insecurity means Pakistan has taken a step backward in SDG 2 progress.
The Progress
However, not everything is ill-boding: Pakistan’s overall score on the SDGs index rose from 52.95 in 2015 to 63.10 in 2020, indicating significant progress. On a positive note, one of the updates on SDG 2 in Pakistan is that the nation saw an increase of “28.2[%] from the baseline” in several goals, including zero hunger, from 2015 to 2020.
In 2018, Pakistan’s government started working with the World Food Programme (WFP) to implement programs to reduce hunger across the nation in order to make progress toward SDG 2. These efforts include supplying food and nutrition aid after disasters to the most vulnerable groups through cash and food transfers. In 2019, the United Nations Human Settlement Programme started working with the Pakistani government to “restrict conversion of prime agricultural land into other uses.”
In September 2022, OCHA reported that the “lead agencies in food security and the agricultural sector” have supplied “food assistance and livelihood support” for around 410,000 people in Pakistan’s most flood-affected provinces.
Pakistan’s government also took immediate action to aid flood-affected households: $173 million in cash transfers to 1.5 million households. With the help of the U.N., Pakistan “launched a multisectoral flood response” initiative to assist 5.2 million individuals for at least six months. This program includes an agenda to restore livelihoods dependent on crops and livestock.
Looking Ahead
In response to the extreme weather patterns, in May 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif created a task force focused on mitigating the effects of the adverse weather and had a meeting in August 2022 on the swift “implementation of climate adaptation policies.” The prime minister acknowledged the urgency of the situation in a tweet once the meeting ended: “Gone are the days when climate change was the subject of drawing room discussions. It is affecting our everyday life. Food and water security [are] directly linked to climate hazards.”
In order to ensure Pakistan’s progress in SDG 2 and other goals, mitigating the effects of climatic hazards is key as is strengthening the country’s resilience to shocks.
– Samyukta Gaddam
Photo: Flickr
Measures to Control Malaria in Chad
According to the Malaria Consortium, Chad has one of the highest mortality rates globally for children younger than 5. For every 1,000 children, 119 die before the age of 5. Malaria is a significant cause of death in Chad, especially among children. Pregnant women and children are the most susceptible to contracting malaria because of their fragile immune systems. Several measures aim to control malaria in Chad, especially among the most vulnerable groups.
Preventative Measures
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of insecticide-treated nets and antimalarial medication among the most vulnerable populations in endemic countries.
The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) funds insecticide-treated nets for distribution to countries facing high malaria burdens. In March 2022, AMF agreed to distribute 6.8 million mosquito nets across all of Chad’s provinces from January 2023 to April 2023. The distribution of these nets could prevent up to 9,000 malaria-related deaths. AMF also estimates that the supply of nets will add $163 million to Chad’s GDP. In a country where the poverty rate stood at 42% in 2018, measures to reduce the nation’s economic burden are crucial.
The Malaria Consortium aims to improve health across Asia and African regions “through evidence-based programs that combat targeted diseases and promote universal health coverage,” its website says. The Malaria Consortium’s malaria prevention efforts involve the distribution of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) to protect vulnerable populations in endemic countries. This effective intervention involves “administering monthly doses of antimalarial drugs to children aged 3-59 months during the peak malaria transmission season.”
In May 2016, the Malaria Consortium established an office in N’Djamena, Chad’s capital city, and has led SMC initiatives since then. In 2021, the organization provided support for SMC interventions across 26 districts in Chad, with the aim of reaching about 1 million under-5 children.
Since 2000, the incidence of malaria in Chad has reduced from 267 per 1,000 vulnerable people to 206 in 2020, according to the World Bank. One can attribute the general decrease in numbers to increased treatment and prevention measures.
Malaria Vulnerability During Pregnancy
Contracting malaria during pregnancy poses risks to both the mother and child. “Pregnant women suffering from malaria are at increased risk of anemia and miscarriage and their babies are at risk of stillbirth, prematurity, intrauterine growth retardation and low birth weight,” says the Population Reference Bureau. Low birth weight is a significant cause of neonatal mortality. Experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that malaria during pregnancy causes between 75,000 to 200,000 infant mortalities annually across the world. In 2020, the WHO Africa Region recorded that 34% of all pregnant mothers had malaria exposure.
To protect vulnerable pregnant women from malaria, the WHO recommends the use of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) as part of antenatal care. The use of insecticide-treated nets is also important to ensure the mother’s safety. However, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), branded as Fansidar, has its limitations. It has reduced efficacy among women with HIV and SP-resistance is becoming more common.
Efforts from organizations have contributed to a reduced prevalence of malaria in Chad. Continued treatment efforts and preventative measures will ensure the most vulnerable populations are protected from malaria.
– Yv Maciel
Photo: Flickr
COVID-19’s Impact on Spain
With the emergence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, several countries have faced significant economic challenges. One such country is Spain, which experienced its first recorded COVID-19 case in January 2020, and since then has recorded more than 13 million cases.
Large numbers of COVID-19 cases within Spain have caused strict lockdown protocols within the country, in turn slowing Spain’s booming tourism industry and economic development. Spain lost its large influx of tourists due to COVID-19, and it experienced a surge in unemployment levels and a significant decline in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Here is some information about COVID-19’s impact on Spain.
COVID-19’s Impact on Spain
In March 2020, all 50 provinces of Spain confirmed COVID-19 cases. Accordingly, the Spanish government responded to the spread of the virus by placing the country into lockdown and declaring a state of emergency.
In response to the second wave of infections, Spain subsequently imposed further COVID-19 restrictions. This meant that schools, restaurants and all services that the government deemed non-essential had to close down in an effort to mitigate and control the spread of the virus.
Despite efforts to reduce transmission of the virus, the mortality rate in Spain kept increasing. Since the detection of the first case in Spain, the country has reported around 107,799 deaths from a sum of 12,681,820 cases.
Employment and Standards of Living
Spain’s unemployment rate prior to the pandemic stood at around 14%, whereas by late 2020, it was an estimated 16.2%. COVID-19’s impact on Spain was significant for those already living in poverty. The rise of the global pandemic exposed such individuals to further exacerbated food insecurity and a significant loss of income. As a result, thousands of people in Spain ended up facing economic hardship and an inability to afford adequate amounts of food. According to European Anti Poverty Network, around 380,000 people fell into poverty in 2021. This trend also impacted the educated class of society, significantly affecting economic security among the general Spanish population.
Another report by Human Rights Watch indicated that COVID-19 impacted food security in Spain. Families have been unable to satisfy nutritional support for their kids. According to the report, despite government efforts to alleviate the impact of COVID-19, the economic decline continued to worsen and has meant that families had to skip meals.
Lingering Impact and Recovery
COVID-19’s impact on Spain has undoubtedly exacerbated economic hardship for Spain’s poorest and most vulnerable populations. Spain’s severe material deprivation rate, which measures the degree of poverty reflected in an inability to satisfy basic necessities, climbed to 7% in 2020.
COVID-19’s impact on Spain placed a strain on Spain’s social assistance programs and social security networks, highlighting the complexities and shortcomings of these systems. As Spain’s tourism sector and its overall economy continue to recover from its losses, the war between Russia and Ukraine poses a new threat to Spain’s economy and is likely to further financially challenge Spain’s vulnerable and poor populations.
Despite Spain’s challenges, its government is in the process of implementing an economic recovery plan. The intention of Spain’s recovery plan is to return to the robust economy and unemployment level that Spain had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Spain’s governmental plan encompasses 112 investments and 102 reforms. The plan’s reforms aim to promote sustainable economic growth across the country, and a central focus of the plan is building a resilient economy.
– Dylan Priday
Photo: Unsplash
QShop Helps Nigerian SMEs Transition to eCommerce
QShop is a Nigerian online platform that provides “businesses [with] a quick and easy way to build e-commerce websites,” according to How we made it in Africa. The QShop platform specifically targets markets in Nigeria and Africa, focusing on small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). QShop helps Nigerian SMEs to transition to e-commerce so that businesses can expand their markets and see increased growth.
Poverty in Nigeria and the Role of SMEs
A new World Bank report, “A Better Future for All Nigerians: Nigeria Poverty Assessment 2022,” reveals that four out of 10 people in Nigeria live below the national poverty line. In the last quarter of 2020, the unemployment rate in Nigeria stood at 33%.
However, a 2010 report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) says Nigeria’s SME sector has the potential to “absorb up to 80[%] of jobs, improve per capita income, increase value addition to raw materials supply, improve export earnings, enhance capacity utilization in key industries and unlock economic expansion and GDP growth.”
The Nigerian SME sector plays a crucial role in attenuating poverty. PricewaterhouseCoopers says SMEs are “the backbone of major developed economies.” In the five years preceding 2010, SMEs in Nigeria contributed 48% to the country’s GDP. Furthermore, SMEs accounted for 96% of businesses in Nigeria and 84% of employment. The QShop platform aims to support SMEs in Nigeria, encouraging even further growth.
How QShop Helps Nigerian SMEs
E-commerce has become more popular in recent years and a variety of e-commerce website builders are available for companies of all sizes, including Shopify, Square and Ecwid. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, business closures and restrictions on operations pushed business owners to look for online solutions, leading to a higher demand for e-commerce-as-a-service solutions.
Tarebi Alebiosu, the founder of QShop, told Vanguard that amid the pandemic, technology played a vital role in the survival of small businesses. She established QShop with the specific intent of helping SMEs run their businesses online.
Head of technology at QShop, Harrison Hammond, said to Vanguard: “At QShop, we want to help customers grow from zero to a hundred with technology. We serve as the middle-man to bring all the tools — websites, inventory, payment channels and logistics — to one place.”
QShop helps Nigerian SMEs by being more affordable than many other e-commerce sites and pricing its paid subscriptions in nairas and not dollars. “Right now, nobody wants to incur costs linked to the dollar as our currency is experiencing serious devaluation,” Alebiosu said to How we made it in Africa.
QShop offers business owners a free and paid subscription. Businesses can opt for the free subscription where the company “takes 4% off every transaction, but there is no monthly fee.” About 5% of QShop clients are utilizing the paid subscription, as of November 2022, while the others utilize the free subscription. “We make money only if our clients are selling,” says Alebiosu to How we made it in Africa. The free tier ensures that businesses do not lose money if they initially struggle to sell.
The Future
So far, merchants have shown a significant amount of interest in QShop since its introduction. As of May 2022, the company has more than 10,000 SMEs registered and has processed more than $500,000 USD in seller sales. With the help of partnerships with Stripe, Flutterwave, Paystack and Providus Bank, merchants can receive funds in any currency.
The COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted Nigeria’s economy. However, this new platform has the potential to help small and medium enterprises thrive in an increasingly digital world. The positive impacts of QShop may reignite economic growth and reduce poverty among Nigerians.
– Caterina Rossi
Photo: Flickr
The Fight Against Graveyard Poverty
About Graveyard Poverty
Beginning as homes in the 1950s for cemetery caretakers, the cemeteries attract Filipinos living in poverty by providing free living and often some basic income for their work in the graveyards: some receive 600 pesos ($30.94) per year to take care of the graves, and others work to prepare funerals by carving headstones or digging graves. Residents also appreciate the proximity to their lost loved ones, as explained by one cemetery-dweller to The Guardian: “I like him close. I like that when I wake up I can see him … I like that I can be the one to care for his grave.”
Ultimately, however, living conditions are far from just. In addition to the sub-poverty level income many residents earn, and the lack of access to basic services including “sanitation, electricity, and clean water,” police often raid the cemeteries in anti-drug missions, shooting and killing civilians within the premises. Despite this injustice, a lack of money prevents residents from investigating the shootings.
How “Tombstone Pillow” is Fighting Graveyard Poverty
It was a chilling visit to these cemeteries in the Philippines that inspired filmmaking couple Bayou Bennett and Daniel Lir to create “Tombstone Pillow.” In fact, the name of the film draws directly from Bennett’s observation that residents used tombstones as pillows. On her LinkedIn, Bennett explains, “The reality of life in the cemetery shocked us so much, we couldn’t get the world and imagery out of our minds.” Already committed to creating “socially conscious” media, Bennett and Lir translated the “emotions, world and characters” into the film to create a vivid tale of injustice and inequality.
In “Tombstone Pillow,” a wealthy widow visits her deceased husband at Manila North Cemetery in the midst of a raid on the community. Throughout the film, she obtains a sense of compassion for the poverty of the grave-dwellers, as well as an understanding of the socioeconomic inequality plaguing her city. The film not only raises awareness regarding the destitution plaguing the 6,000 Filipino graveyard dwellers but advocates for concrete reform on behalf of the Philippine government. At present, Bennett and Lir’s goal with the film is to pave the way for reforms to the living conditions within these cemeteries via relocation to more sustainable living spaces. To accomplish this, the couple hopes to present the film to the mayor of Manila.
The Film’s Success So Far
At present, “Tombstone Pillow” has acquired 33 awards and 43 nominations globally, including Best Inspirational Film at the Venice Film Awards, Hollywood Film Awards and NY Movie Awards. “Human beings deserve better, and filmmaking is the most powerful voice we know which has allowed us to help create change and awareness to this problem,” said Bennett to Samera Entertainment.
– Alisa Gulyansky
Photo: Flickr