About the project Edit

The concept for Moniba, an alternative currency, came about during the first InnovAfrica forum in Bamako, Mali. It facilitates training exchanges, while providing people, who normally would not have the means to pay for formal training, with access to professional degree programs.

This currency works in two ways. First of all, a person decides that the skills of their friend or neighbour is useful and so, gives them a Moniba using their mobile phone or voicemail service. Everyone starts out with zero Moniba, and it is possible to have a negative balance. However, once a person has completed training, he or she can begin training others. Secondly, governments and employment aid agencies can use Moniba to identify the best grant candidates and thus provide access to certified training programs to those who do not normally have the financial means.

A person with a balance of zero Moniba is either inactive or has trained many people (has earned a lot of Moniba) and also received a lot of training (has spent a lot of Moniba). It is not the Moniba balance that determines someone eligibility for a grant, but rather, certain indicators stemming from account activity. For example, a grant may be issued to a person who has spent 100 Moniba and also received 100 Moniba from at least fifty different people. The Moniba project should be launched for the first time in Mali in collaboration with l’Agence Nationale Pour l’Emploi du Mali (National Agency for Employment in Mali) and in Senegal with students of Cesti, a journalism school.