Our session links to WSIS Action Lines C3 (Access to Information and Knowledge), C4 (Capacity Building) and C7 (e-business).  All three ventures to be highlighted in the session, AMHIGA, Bridge Africa and Think Young, have harnessed the power of ICT's to provide access to local knowledge, increase capacity through connectivity by mobile phone and internet and create sustainable businesses using e-commerce and social media techniques. Once the platforms and business models are developed, branding becomes a critical factor in ensuring that targeted users know who is providing the goods or services and that those products are genuine and of good quality. Good branding equal good business and opportunities for sustainability.  AMHIGA and Bridge Africa are led by women entrepreneurs.  Think Young fosters creativity and innovation for all genders as youth can create their own destinies through entrepreneurship and technical education.

Bridge Africa is a communication platform for business. It operates a 3 in 1 service, that works online and offline through text messaging, which helps users create websites, connect to a business directory, and join a network.  It started as a result of US Fulbright research completed by its founder, Maxine Moffett. It was this research on the impact of ICTs for solving development issues where the disparities of available online content concerning local communities became apparent. Bridge Africa was founded as a solution to help communities produce more online content which was user centered and useful locally and internationally.  Users can create websites in a matter of minutes then connect to a business directory and have the ability to gather followers through technology. The program is flexible and an internet connection is not required.  The 3 core features of creating websites, connecting to a business directory, and networking all work through a text messaging service. This allows for broad access and capacity building. There are billions of businesses without websites in Africa and other emerging markets. Bridge Africa provides communications solutions that works for almost all in these communities. This includes the 72.5% who do not have access to the internet, the 80% with mobile phone access and even those living in rural areas (50%). Bridge Africa is helping the 4 billion who face digital exclusion become more inclusive.  This platform received the WSIS Prize in 2016 from the ITU, as one of the world’s best applications that contributes to linguistic diversity and local content. To date the site has helped thousands of people create websites and the technology has even been utilized by international organizations with a focus on health and agriculture as a means to better network their constituencies in a practical manner.

ThinkYoung is the first think tank that focuses on young people. It was founded in 2007 and has expanded to have offices in Brussels, Geneva, Madrid and Hong Kong. It is a not-for-profit organization, with the aim of making the world a better place for young people, by involving them in decision making processes and by providing decision makers with high quality research on key issues affecting young people.  ThinkYoung conducts studies and surveys, makes documentary movies, writes policy proposals and develops education programs: up to date, ThinkYoung projects have reached over 600’000 young people through multimedia and face-to-face education projects. Based on its research on young people`s necessities, ThinkYoung creates trainings and workshops to empower youth with the tools to have a positive impact and make a change. Through the entrepreneurship schools set up in Europe and Asia, every year 300 young people from all continents are given the opportunity to cooperate, the chance to learn first-hand experience from successful entrepreneurs, and the skills to create their own company.  At Think Young Audiovisual Laboratory young researchers are trained in filmmaking and multimedia projects. So far, the Think Young Team has produced about 100 documentaries on youth in more than 30 different European and Asian countries. Their website can be found at thinkyoung.edu

AMHIGA is an association focused on the protection of the heritage and position of argan oil in the global market place.  This is achieved by ensuring the authenticity, origin, quality and traceability of the product which is recognized by the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and certified by an approved body. AMHIGA promote awareness of the cultural heritage of argan oil and the transmission of traditional knowledge of its production and uses, participates with the emancipation of rural women through its role within the sector of argan and strengthening their position within their community; advocates for conservation and regeneration of the argan tree, the last defense against desertification, and contributes toward the organization of sustainable companies and cooperatives able  to provide a fair income for women and to fix the added value in Morocco.  AMIGHA is tasked with the administration and oversight of the protected geographical indication (PGI) status of argan oil.  This includes licensing the name ARGAN only to products derived from authentic sources, enforcing against unauthorized use of the designation and managing a trademark portfolio that includes the AMHIGHA, A.N.C.A. and IGP ARGANE Logos.

The programs discussed in this workshop focus on business and nonprofit ventures that are run by women and focus on economic empowerment through the development of powerful brands.  Such brands identify the sources of businesses that rely on ICT's for dissemination and growth.  Whether it’s through a mobile application, text messaging, social media platform or technology training, the aim is to promote capacity building and infrastructure to create viable enterprises and promote economic opportunity.  Such programs enhance infrastructure by creating networks that enable the production and distribution of goods and services through ICTs.  These sources are identified by their trademarks.  By building a strong brand presence using ICTs, entrepreneurs can ensure that users know how and where to find them whether in a local village or an ocean away.  Building protections around local resources such as Moroccan Argan Oil sustains the value of the goods and helps businesses develop brick and mortar establishments and virtual networks that create jobs.  The backbone of such brand development is trademark protection.  Trademark protection is a system of local, national and international laws that allow entrepreneurs to protect their assets and combat fraud.  The consumer has the right to know the source of the goods and services that they are purchasing or the charity to which they are donating.  Trademarks are the legal means by which reliable sources are identified.  The consumer can then return again and again for the same high quality experience.  Recently, INTA and Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI) collaborated on the study to determine the impact of trademark-intensive industries on the economies of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and Peru Overall, the results of the study are positive. Across the five countries, trademark-intensive industries generated 8 to 26 percent of total employment; and 10 to 21 percent of GDP. This is equivalent to 18.5 million jobs and a value added per person of US $2,390 annually. These results underscore the huge potential for economic growth that can be unlocked by promoting trademarks within the business communities, and by further developing national trademark systems and trademark-intensive industries. The study, available in Spanish and English, can be found at http://www.inta.org/Communications/Pages/Impact-Studies.aspx  NGO's benefit from trademark protections in the same manner as for-profit business.   Like a business, a charitable venture survives by the strength of its name and the quality of its output thus ensuring long term growth and sustainability.  Therefore, it is imperative that ICT and development policies consider trademarks and consumer production as a part of regulatory regimes and education programs that promote innovation, growth, fair trade and long term sustainability.