Yola EcoSentials, Nigeria: waste-to-wealth community social enterprise Mokhalles Mohammad Mehdi, Sandip Rakshit and Jelena Zivkovic Y ola EcoSentials (YES) was founded and spearheaded by Charles Reith (Chief Executive Officer) in September 2012 as a social enterprise initiative at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, the capital city of Adamawa. It was a waste-towealth programme with the mission of improving the environment, reducing waste and empowering women by engaging them in the waste recycling business by recycling discarded nylon bags into sellable goods. Its popular products included handbags, wallets, table mats, baskets and purses. YES trained 30 women entrepreneurs to run the business and its 5-year (20122017) business plan involved training 120 women annually and was specially designed to inspire and motivate women entrepreneurs within the Yola community. Its aim was to generate employment opportunities and to protect the local deteriorating ecological environment. In January 2016, however, YES and its management faced major unanticipated challenges in expanding its business, including the maintenance of quality products, accountability of business operations, a personal income savings plan, a source of new clients, availability and division of insufficient raw material and recordkeeping. Regardless of these barriers, YES was determined to set an example of what a small burgeoning enterprise run by local women can achieve which was no easy feat, especially in Nigeria with its specific challenges. Reith and his team were determined to develop and adopt the appropriate strategy for managing the challenges encountered when operating the business and being run by local women in Yola, Nigeria. Women entrepreneurship An estimated 70% of Nigerias population is considered extremely poor and affected by poverty. The major reasons for poverty in Nigeria are unemployment, low industrialization, slow growth in education and a lack of development of new industries, as well as a minimal expansion in the agriculture sector. Womens lack of participation in the economy often compromises their rights, as well as their personal development and financial advancement. Women in Adamawa in northern Nigeria are often marginalized and neglected. Many of these women and their children are employed in housekeeping, primarily managing middle-class households. This situation has an impact on the economic growth, and encouraging entrepreneurship has become a necessity to accommodate unemployed women living in poverty. In Nigeria, women comprise 50% of the population and about half of the unemployed citizens (Enechojo, 2012). Low industrialization, inadequate infrastructure and genderrelated issues are key factors contributing to their unemployment growth. Most are denied job opportunities, and, as a result, their efforts have resulted in the creation of selfemployment enterprises. Mokhalles Mohammad Mehdi is PhD Research Scholar at the Department of Business Administration, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India. Sandip Rakshit is Faculty member at the School of Information Technology and Computing, American University of Nigeria, Yola, Nigeria. Jelena Zivkovic is Director of Enrollment Management at the Department of Academic Affairs, American University of Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq. Authors acknowledge all the officials of Yola EcoSentials, Nigeria for their quick response in information sharing and allowing us to write the case. Disclaimer. This case is written solely for educational purposes and is not intended to represent successful or unsuccessful managerial decision-making. The authors may have disguised names, financial and other recognizable information to protect confidentiality.The aim of women entrepreneurs is to create a stable life for themselves and their families and to help others living people in their society. Consequently, women in Nigeria have gotten involved in the exchange of goods and services to generate income for the wellbeing of their families and communities. Some women engage in knitting, tailoring, hairdressing, weaving and working in restaurants for their personal economic gain while others are involved in non-profit businesses interested in having an impact in society. Women entrepreneurs are engaged both in established organizations and at home (Jekayinfa, 2006). Their involvement in small and medium enterprises contributes towards their personal economic and social benefits in addition to the economy of Nigeria. Benefits and challenges Women entrepreneurship benefits society, the environment and their local economy. The benefits of women entrepreneurship are categorized into the benefits to the women entrepreneurs and the benefits to the economy (Alutu & Uzamere, 2011). The benefits to women entrepreneurs include independence, financial stability, self-fulfilment, selfsufficiency, worklife balance, focus on their business and reduced involvement of illegal activities such as stealing and prostitution. The benefits to the economy include the provision of employment opportunities, effective utilization of resources and the enhancement of equity in the distribution of income and wealth. Some of the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs are family responsibilities such as caring for their husbands, children and elders, compounded by a lack of education and adequate training in business and limited financial capital to put into investments (Alutu & Uzamere, 2011). These challenges impact directly on the marketing and financing decisions of businesses. Furthermore, the inability to procure raw materials and inaccessibility to the technology are a concern for African women entrepreneurs (UNCTAD, 2000). Other challenges faced by social enterprises include limited resources (Bridgstock et al., 2010), recruiting competent staff (Becker, 1964), innovation for long-term survival (Konda et al., 2014), the execution of social mission (Burke & Litwin, 1992) and the adherence to standard policies and procedures (Burke & Litwin, 1992). Businesses involved in waste management benefit the environment in Nigeria. The recycling business has had a major impact on society by ensuring a clean environment. This case discusses the initiative of women entrepreneurs in Yola, Nigeria. Background of Yola EcoSentials YES created the opportunity to convert trash into cash. The idea originated at the AUN in Yola, the capital city of Adamawa, and was launched in September 2012. YES was the AUNs first social enterprise initiative and was a waste-to-wealth programme with the mission to improve the environment, reduce waste and empower women. YES was founded and spearheaded by Charles Reith, Chief Executive Officer, and he established a management style for the business operation with a structured hierarchy. The board of trustees of YES is comprised of representatives from the AUN and the Women Empowerment Committee, namely, Margee Ensign (Chairperson, Board of Trustee), Esther Emanuel and Fara James (Member, Board of Trustee and representative from the Woman Development Centre [WDC]). The management team is comprised of a president, chief executive officer and director of finance. Several stakeholders were involved in YES operations, such as women from marginalized backgrounds including Yola-Jimeta women who are or have been divorced, widowed, elderly or abused as well as representatives from the Yola-Jimeta disabled community, AUN students, members of the Office of Sustainability and the AUN School of Business and Entrepreneurship. PAGE 2 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j VOL. 11 NO. 2 2021 The organization structures objective was to accomplish set organizational goals (see Figure 1). Artists were involved in designing and developing their products at its headquarters. The supervisory role was to monitor the growth and development of products and recruitment of artisans. The operations manager was responsible for the daily operational activities by working closely with the WDC, vendors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government officials to ensure the smooth execution of the process including quality control and sourcing of raw materials. The product manager was responsible for creativity, training and monitoring market demand. The day-to-day business operations of YES are managed by the sustainability office for which the operations manager is accountable. The sustainability office of the AUN bought YES products at wholesale prices every two weeks and subsequently sold them to the university community at retail prices. It also ensured that the income realized from sales of the products went directly to benefit the women and the NGOs and that the additional margin was used to keep the business running. The company was initiated to chart a new direction in waste management at the university, as well as in the Yola community at large. Recycled waste items such as nylons were repurposed into valuable items such as handbags, wallets, table mats and iPad bags. YES trained 30 women entrepreneurs to execute and operate the business. A 5-year (20122017) business plan was put into place, which included the training of 120 women annually who would inspire and motivate local women social entrepreneurs. The plan was designed to train the women as freelance artisans. There were 60 local freelance artisans working for YES and 1,000 women had been trained for various business operations by 2016. YES started with minimal set-up costs intended for marketing, including advertising on local radio stations, blogs, banners and leaflets (see Table 1), sourcing raw materials, purchasing basic artisan tools and reserving cash flow for the wages of 20 part-time workers. The social enterprise was initially launched with five major NGOs: Spring of Hope, WDC, Glorious Women, Uchika Women and Centre for Women and Adolescence Empowerment in Adamawa. Initially, a total of 30 women comprised YES and they planned to replicate and Figure 1 Organizational structure chart Source: Internal information of the company Board of Directors Chairman (CEO) Chief Executive Officer Product Manager Artists Executive Advisor 1/ Supervisor Executive Advisor 2/ Supervisor Operations Manager Artists Executive Advisor 1/ Supervisor Executive Advisor 2/ Supervisor VOL. 11 NO. 2 2021 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 3 enhance the operations for up to 1,000 women in each Nigerian state. The NGOs did not contribute to any of YES operations. Reith stated, As YES was setting up to launch its social enterprise, management asked each of these five NGOs to nominate four women who could participate in training and freelancing for YES success. Table 2 highlights the monthly sales records from 2012 to 2016. The data indicated the growth of the business with optimistic growth rates. While this small business generates employment opportunities, revenue and a savings plan for its participants, it also protects the deteriorating ecological environment by collecting, cleaning and upcycling nylon waste. Nevertheless, in January 2016, YES faced major challenges when expanding its business and was determined to set an example of what a small burgeoning enterprise run by local women can achieve. Entry and growth The window of opportunity of YES in Nigeria was to clean up the environment, impact positively on the immediate community and turn waste into wealth by participating in effective waste management systems. The introduction of simple, innovative crafts and enhanced development through economically viable opportunities was the teams initial ambition. YES success depended on the availability of raw materials and the quality of the finished product. Compared with its competitors, namely, low-quality imports from places such as China, YES was unique offering goods made in Nigeria by Nigerians, promoting artistry and handicrafts at a low cost and simultaneously contributing to an improved environment. YES had an advantage, thanks to its relationship with the AUN, where initially all raw material was sourced. The labourers transformation process of waste products to valuable end products was supported by paid labourers and local freelance artisans. YES contributed greatly to the micro-economic stimulation within a local population of 300,000 people. Through the collaboration among NGOs, individual interests and the AUN Office of Sustainability, the progress of YES was monitored and evaluated. YES first launched in partnership with the AUN stemming from the urgent need to clean up the local environment as it was littered with single-use plastic grocery bags, resulting in clogged street drains and trapped animals, and YES provided a means to recycle and reuse these bags. All initial resources, such as raw materials, training venues, expertise and infrastructure, were sourced and funded by the AUN and women artisans paid for their own crochet needles and personal transportation to and from the training centre. After the first year, the artisans sourced raw material themselves and eventually all training was relocated off the AUN premises and conducted at the WDC and was funded by the state government. Once or twice a year, there would be formal training sessions help to educate more women that were funded by a grant from Exxon Mobile and two grants from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Women from the community were extremely grateful for the training and the support provided by the AUN and donors. Economic growth was dependent on grants. Effective human resources, however, was dependent on how well the women organized themselves to assume leadership and were willing to take on decision-making responsibilities. YES campaigned in local neighbourhoods for raw materials by engaging women from different communities and grew until it spread throughout Adamawa state. The entry strategy to YES was relatively easy with no direct competitors, although similar products including handbags, key rings and floor mats could be found in local small Chinese shops. The positioning power that propelled YES was its commitment to recycling waste and cleaning up the immediate environment. Nevertheless, to ensure the growth of the enterprise, it planned a quick market penetration strategy to sell products at an affordable price. It took about 10 months before YES engaged in alternative yet traditional marketing channels such as creating an online presence, door-to-door sales, attending fairs and consignments. YES further expanded its market by reaching out to neighbouring and larger cities, such as Gombe, Maigduri and finally to Nigerias capital city, Abuja. Moreover, YES carried out intense concentrated local market research by observing trends, predicting clients needs and monitoring foreseeable economic shifts. The gross profit graph includes plarn, eco-bricks and metals sales profits over a four-year period (see Figure 2). The graph in Figure 3 illustrates the time of business generating its profit within a four-year period. Mission To become a premier producer and distributor of high-quality fashionable materials to empower women and to create job opportunities for countless unemployed, roaming the streets. Goals YES goals were to: Empower women and create employment opportunities in northern parts of Nigeria, divert 70% of the waste from irresponsible disposal to a sustainable quality product range which could compete on a global platform. Furthermore, it aimed to replicate the business model around the world, create tolerance and peace within highly diverse an

Discuss resourcefulness and innovation in relation to the Yola Eco Essentials case study, concluding on one type of resourcefulness like Bricolage or innovation like Jugaad at Yola.