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Shifting Paradigm on Poverty Alleviation through iBoP Asia Project
Report from iBoP Asia’s Innovations Forum Jakarta March 3, 2010
 Not less than 100 people gathered in iBoP Asia’s Innovations Forum entitled: iBoP Asia’s Frontiers: Charting the Future of S&T Innovations for the Base of the Pyramid in Southeast Asia. A regional event organized by the iBoP Asia Secretariat-Phillipines with assistance of Dewan Riset Nasional that took place in Singasari Ballroom of Grand Sahid Jaya Hotel March 3, 2010 ago. Attendees were ranging from Ministry of Research and Technology, DRN members, BPPT, Researchers, Innovation Centers, NGOs, and several Indonesia-based funding agencies.
The forum was attended by the International Development Centre (IDRC) representative, Dr. Ellie Osir as the funding source along with other 5 speakers, experts in the fields: Energy, Water & Sanitation, Agriculture, Climate Change Adaptation, and ICT. The keynote speaker was Mr. Allen Hammond, the co-author of The Next 4 Billion: Market Size and Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid book.
The DRN Chairman, Prof. Andrianto Handojo opened the forum by quoting Indonesia’s President, Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono speech in front of Academy of Science Indonesia (AIPI) and scientific communities January 20, 2010 that pro-poor technology is one of technology priorities to be developed and that iBoP Asia Project has the same spirit to the issue. Therefore National Research Council Indonesia (DRN) support this forum and further in DRN National Research Agenda, pro-poor technology has become one of 3 spirits of S&T development in Indonesia. In the context of iBoP Asia research projects, in other part of the forum Dr. Tusy A. Adibroto, Secretary of DRN emphasizing it is time to shift paradigm seeing the poor not as burden and powerless entity. The poor, said Dr. Adibroto has a great power if can be empowered through appropriate program that even in the end poverty can be alleviated through their own efforts.
 The huge number of the poor in this planet (which close to 4 billion people) is a large market if we want to consider the economy aspect of them. Initiatives have arisen, in this case from iBoP Asia Research Projects and the next challenge would be how to scale up these initiatives. To give you a picture, Allen Hammond added some facts taken from his book on how large the consumption scale of the people in the Base of the Pyramid. That from energy sector, the BoP consume energy - $433 billion. From water - $70 billion, while from housing reach $332 billion and healthcare - $158 billion. This is yet including from education. The poor are willing to pay that is why this is a huge opportunity for the investor to “think again” investing to this segment.
In the forum also, iBoP Asia’s 2008 Grantees delivered their project presentation in parallel sessions. From Indonesia was Wisnu Caroko from SETARA Foundation. Also attending, 2009 grantees from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam.
The official hand over from the previous Project Advisory Committee (PAC)’s chairman was represented by another key PAC member, Dr. Guillermo Luz from the Phillipines to Dr. Tusy Adibroto as the PAC chairman for 2009-2010 period. Also launched in this final plenary session of the forum: Networking Channel of iBoP Asia Project in Indonesia through “iBoP Indonesia” network. (TDS)
See the link to the related news in bahasa:
Untuk Berita forum dalam Bahasa Indonesia dapat melihat dalam link berikut:
http://bataviase.co.id/node/123409
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