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.