OKO is a different type of for-profit business making a global impact one farmer at a time.
To ensure that our mission remains at the core of our business, OKO commits to re-invest at least 50% of its profit into activities that lead the the 3 impact pillars described below
OUR MISSION
"We provide effective, affordable insurance to farmers in emerging markets and deliver instant claim settlement.
By leveraging the increasing influence of mobile technology, we aim to help overcome income distribution insufficiencies for those who feed the world."
OUR IMPACT
CLIMATE RESILIENCE
What is it?
Climate resilience is defined as the ability to maintain function in the face of external stresses imposed by climate change. For a farmer, it means being able to recover after suffering an adverse season, and avoiding being immediately in a case of financial distress.
How is it achieved?
Climate resilience can be achieved by different mechanisms: diversification of crops or irrigation for example. But while these solution require important investments and changes in the way of doing business, it is also possible to become more resilient through insurance.
OKO's insurance, by providing immediate financial support to farmers who have been exposed to adverse weather, is helping them reimburse their credits, maintain their lifestyle and prepare for the next season.
Recognition:
OKO was awarded in November 2019 the International Award during the Climate Finance Day by Finance for Tomorrow. This recognise OKO's positive impact as a financial tool to adapt to the consequences of Climate Change.
FINANCIAL INCLUSION
What is it?
Financial Inclusion is defined as the availability and equality of opportunities to access financial services. For smallholder farmers this means having access to useful and affordable financial products and services like crop insurance, saving tools and agricultural loans that meet their needs and are delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.
How is it achieved?
From OKO's point of view, Financial Inclusion is a matter of pricing, distribution and education.
- Prices must be adapted to match the willingness to pay of low-income populations. This might also imply that the service delivered is different: our insurance covers an amount per hectare that is lower than traditional insurance, and covers the most acute risks only.
- Distribution needs to allow access from remote location, and not discriminate based on gender, wealth or level of education. OKO's insurance is available from any mobile device (no smartphone or internet needed), from any location and to all genders. Support is provided in local language.
- Education is a full part of the customer journey. Products need to be easy to understand, and explained in simple terms. Specific efforts are made by OKO to conduct awareness campaigns and education campaigns to explain the value of insurance.
Recognition:
OKO won the 2019 FinTech Showcase award during the Global Policy Forum of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) in Kigali, Rwanda. Members of the jury were regulators and financial inclusion experts.
JOB CREATION
What is it?
Job creation is the provision of new opportunities for paid employment, especially for those who are unemployed. In rural areas of emerging countries this is especially important as the youth constitutes about 37 percent of the total labor force, but make up about 60 percent of total unemployment.
How is it achieved?
New technologies have a major impact in breaking the traditional barriers to employment. Connectivity in rural areas allows people to connect with the job market, receive digital training and be paid via digital channels.
OKO takes full benefit of this trend, and offers young rural populations to become OKO representatives. They are equipped with tools and trained in-house. They then receive remuneration for their work directly on their mobile wallet. This comes as an additional or main source of income for young people often remote from large employment centres.
Recognition:
The African Development Bank granted the Job Creation Prize to OKO during the 2019 Seedstars summit in Johannesburg. This highlights the ability for OKO to provide a large number of jobs in under-served areas, which is a target for the Bank.
