In April, GIFT ASEAN will run the third Malaysia Young Leaders Programme (YLP) in Sabah, which will include an experiential learning component focused on providing a basic need: electricity. GIFT will be partnering with Tonibung, an ASEAN Energy Award-winning social enterprise that makes and distributes micro-hydropower generators to the 600 off-grid rural communities in Sabah. Using the momentum of river water, these generators grant communities access to all the benefits of reliable power, such as extended working and social hours, easier access to education and entertainment, as well as increased productivity and powered healthcare equipment. Tonibung is ambitiously looking to provide these benefits at a larger scale by connecting multiple villages together with a network of micro-grids.
As part of their experiential learning, participants will produce a business plan with a view to attract investment for Tonibung’s microgrids, including recommendations on how best to manage this capital in a sustainable and transparent manner. This will be no small task: understanding investment opportunities in electrification for rural Sabah requires navigation of the economic, political and geographical complexities of the region. It would also bring about changes to village life that must be managed to foster community growth.
Using their soft skills, participants will manage various stakeholder interests and create a viable commercial model. This is part of our leadership learning objectives and the core of our experiential methodology. After all, what works in a more developed or an urban economy will be unfeasible in much of the developing world, including a place like rural Sabah. Working on a project like Tonibung’s reveals different opportunities and constraints, and so require different, “outside-the-box” business models.
As an example of these complexities, the rural power sector does not operate in the same way as it does in urban markets. The national grid can only extend so far: using kilometres of transformer cables to connect rural areas with urban hubs is not cost-effective. Additionally, villagers do not use electric-powered goods in large numbers, which means the demand for electricity is currently not large enough to make conventional grid operation economically viable. Thus, the key issue to be tackled when it comes to community-based models like Tonibung’s is financial sustainability: how can the organisation continue to receive sufficient income so it can continue its work and expand to new areas?
Tonibung’s efforts will need to be helped by encouraging a cultural shift amongst villagers. The demand for electricity may rise naturally as villagers become more aware of the social and economic benefits of electricity, but Tonibung may need to incubate demand among villages to ensure adequate returns on its investments. We cannot expect villagers to be aware of all the opportunities that electricity presents. By demonstrating these opportunities, Tonibung can expand the market for electricity in a way that still aligns with their social mandate. They have begun this process already: Tonibung’s Founder, Adrian Lasimbang, is a Federal Senator who represents Sabah in the national senate, and has explained to villagers the importance of electric lighting for security at night, and fridges to keep gathered food fresh for longer. Together with Tonibung, Adrian has secured funding from the government as a pioneer in rural electrification, which he intends to use for the micro-grids in question.
GIFT reached a similar conclusion on its 2014 Global Leaders Programme in Laos, facilitated in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacifc. We realised that most rural electrification programmes assumed that electricity would spur entrepreneurship, when instead the opposite was true: programmes needed to foster local businesses, which in turn would increase demand for electricity to the point where rural electrification would be more viable. The ESCAP project was, in turn, inspired from GIFT’s 2013 Global Leaders Programme in Indonesia. Like the upcoming Malaysia programme, the 2013 GLP also focused on micro-hydropower. 2013 participants suggested a system where local communities could eventually gain ownership of microgenerators, allowing these communities to start receiving a return from managing these generators.
However, any rapid socio-economic change presents the risk of poor implementation, or even exploitation by others. Hence, Adrian stresses the importance of a community-based model in which villagers co-own the micro-grids so they have a say in the rate and scale of electricity-based change. Tonibung will remain involved by providing advice, education, and transparent business opportunities that encourage the growth and integration of rural communities in Sabah.
Adrian is excited about the opportunity to work with GIFT, and believes the participants of the Malaysia YLP can work together to make Tonibung’s goal a reality: “The business plan is essential for the whole ecosystem to work – but we’re not a business organisation, so how the micro-grids can be funded and sustained is something we need help to achieve”.
If you’re interested to find out more about the Malaysia YLP, visit the programme page here or please get in touch with Synna Ong, the Programme Manager for this Malaysia YLP, at song@global-inst.com.
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Valerie is Programme Associate at GIFT. Prior to joining GIFT, she spent several years in the Legal Industry, with a particular focus on corporate law, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Global Leadership and Development at the University of Hong Kong. She received her law degree from University College London and is a member of the New York Bar. She is fluent in Mandarin, English and Cantonese.
Vinobha Anthony Doss is a Programme Associate at GIFT ASEAN. Prior to joining GIFT he was in the practice of civil litigation and dispute resolution. He has been involved in various public policy shaping cases lodged in the Malaysian courts. His creative approach coupled with the depth in legal knowledge has resulted in effective legal reasoning and client management. Vino graduated from the University of London and was called to the Malaysian Bar in 2017. He speaks fluent English, Malay, basic Cantonese and basic French.
Viji is the Operations Manager at GIFT Asean. She oversees the operational management of the KL office.
Prior to joining GIFT, Viji worked in various organisations and has spent the last 15 years on NGO work mainly focusing on performance arts and cancer respectively. Viji holds a BA (Hons) in Psychology from the Dublin Business School. She speaks English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Malayalam.
Brenda oversees the programme design and implementation, as well as content development at GIFT. Prior to GIFT, Brenda was a Senior Economist at the Central Bank of Malaysia for almost 8 years, leading macroeconomic assessments and growth projections for monetary policy deliberation. Passionate about public policy, she also sought to diversify her research interests and expertise over the years – ranging from trade competitiveness and investment incentives to social protection. When COVID-19 hit, Brenda had a hand in crafting various stimulus measures to support the vulnerable groups in Malaysia.
She holds a degree in BSc. in Economics with honours from the University of Warwick, UK. She has also attended various professional courses by the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of Korea at Washington D.C., Singapore and South Korea. She is fluent in Malay, speaks several Chinese dialects and knows basic Korean.
Venus is Programme Associate at GIFT. Prior to joining GIFT, she worked at the United Nations, USL Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has experience in climate change and sustainability planning, stakeholder engagement and community outreach. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies, with an additional concentration in Inequality Studies. She is fluent in English and Hindi, proficient in Spanish, and conversant in Cantonese.
Karim joined GIFT in 2010 as Business Development Manager. Over the next decade he served as Head of Programmes in Hong Kong, and as Managing Director of GIFT ASEAN in Malaysia where he led the transformation of a small rep office into a fully-fledged regional business.
During this period Karim designed and facilitated dozens of public and custom development programmes for thousands of professionals from Fortune 500s, regional MNCs, Government Agencies and NGOs. Karim’s articles on insights gathered through his work in the classroom and in the field have appeared in a range of publications.
In 2021 Karim left his executive role at GIFT to pursue graduate studies in mindfulness – a practise he is deeply passionate about. He continues to contribute to programme design and facilitation, and is an advisor to GIFT’s new EdTech company GIFT.ed
Karim has lived in Asia for over 20 years. Prior to GIFT, he was a partner in a successful Shanghai-based food and beverage company which today operates almost 50 restaurants across a dozen major Chinese cities. Karim has an MBA from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in China, and is pursuing a Masters in Teaching Mindfulness Based Courses at Bangor University in the UK.
In addition to leading GIFT’s dynamic team and business, since 2008, Eric has facilitated more than 50 experiential leadership programmes in fifteen countries. He is well versed in introducing new ideas on governance, business and sustainability and coaching participants to think critically about their role as leaders. Before joining GIFT, Eric spent several years managing multi-stakeholder partnerships between global brands and civil society groups in the United States and China. He writes and speaks regularly on topics related to leadership development and the changing role of business in society. Eric is an alumnus of Standford University and holds a Masters from Hong Kong University.
For more than three decades, Chandran has advised governments and MNCs on strategic management, leadership issues and sustainability, and is often invited to facilitate for top corporate education providers including Duke CE, INSEAD and NUS. He was previously Chairman of ERM in Asia Pacific, helping establish it as the world’s leading environmental consultancy. Chandran is on the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome and is a member of WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability and Experts Forum, where his thought leadership is sought for its fresh insights and intellectual honesty. He is the author of the best-seller – Consumptionomics: Asia’s Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet, and The Sustainable State: The Future of Government, Economy and Society.