About PRIDE AFRICA

PRIDE AFRICA is a research and development organization that has operated in Africa since 1988. PRIDE’s core belief is that socially-minded business can mainstream Africa’s poor and spur employment across the continent. Consequently, our focus is on the design and incubation of commercial franchises that utilize uniform processes, extensive training and proprietary software. Franchises are scaled in Africa through local entrepreneurs, indigenous investment and the tailored use of ICTs.

A Brief History

PRIDE was founded in 1988 by Jonathan Campaigne. It became one of the first organizations to successfully adapt the group solidarity microfinance model to the African environment, doing so initially in Kenya, before expanding to Guinea, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. PRIDE’s microfinance network grew to more than 60 branches over the next ten years, many of which operated a first-of-its-kind software that facilitated loan tracking, branch accounting, financial projections, and overall office management. The network is now independently managed and serves 250,000+ clients.

In 2003, PRIDE began research in the agricultural sector to achieve a larger organizational impact. A new franchise – DrumNet – was designed and launched in Kenya in 2004. Though a series of pilots, DrumNet built and operated an ICT-enabled platform that delivered services to agro-buyers, banks, farm input retailers and farmers. The pilots were implemented in five different Kenyan provinces and included over 4,000 small-scale farmers. PRIDE’s DrumNet research enabled the organization to develop a commercial case for the further role-out of the platform. Efforts to commercialize DrumNet and bring it to scale are ongoing.

Our Future

Through its work in microfinance and the agricultural sector, PRIDE has been at the forefront of ICT use in Africa. PRIDE will continue to innovate in this area by researching new business opportunities leveraging on the rapid spread of mobile phones in rural East Africa. Additionally, PRIDE is taking its experience in franchise development to the educational sector. The organization is currently investigating low-cost vocational programs with an eye towards the 18-26 year old demographic.

PRIDE AFRICA is headquartered at 626 Grant Street, Suite A, Herndon, Virginia VA 20170, USA and registered within section 501-(c)-3 of the Internal Revenue Code. PRIDE has a regional office based in Nairobi, Kenya where it operates under certificate of compliance F 23/93.