Case Study: Pride Africa: Marketing services for
small-scale entrepreneurs via the Internet
Pride Africa: Marketing services for small-scale entrepreneurs via the Internet
Since subscribing to the Internet in 1996, Pride Africa, a micro-finance institution based in Nairobi, has used the Internet to communicate cost-effectively, send and receive valuable information, and to market its services via its own web site. Pride Africa's mission is to create a sustainable financial and information services network for small-scale entrepreneurs to increase incomes and employment and to stimulate business growth in Africa.
When the organization decided to subscribe for Internet service in 1996, it was looking for fast and easy access to information available on the Internet. Pride Africa also wanted to bypass the high costs of communicating by telephone and the inefficiency and unreliability of sending information through the postal service.
Once the decision was made to establish an Internet account, Pride Africa identified a local Internet Service Provider (ISP) that offered the services it was seeking. Since the organization had previously acquired computers, its only additional investment was a modem. Once the account was established, the ISP provided basic training to Pride Africa staff. As the staff gained experience in using email, they began to explore other Internet features including web site development.
In February 1997, Pride Africa launched their own web page, which is hosted through their ISP, Africa Online. The Pride Africa web page has emerged as a strong marketing tool that has enabled Pride Africa to progress at a fast pace. In addition, the Internet has facilitated timely communication with Pride Africa's partners and quick tracking of useful information, including details of equipment that would further automate operations. While the subscription and web-site-hosting costs are still high, Pride Africa feels that the investment has been well worth it as they have received numerous queries from interested parties who have visited their web site.
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