KickStart International, a non-profit social enterprise based in San Francisco, has appointed David Afugani as its Regional Director in charge of West Africa.  

The organisation develops and mass market low-cost irrigation solutions sold to thousands of small holder farmers in most developing countries and used to increase their income levels, as well as lift them up from poverty. 

As the Regional Director, Mr. Afugani is expected to spearhead the roll-out of its expansion programme and its reporting in the region. He is also responsible for managing the organisation and its programmes in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal and Mali to develop and promote MoneyMaker irrigation pumps.

A former student of University of Cape Coast where he graduated in Bachelor of Management Studies, he was a teaching assistant in the School of Business. 

Mr. Afugani is a distinguished entrepreneur with strong skills towards harnessing resources to grow small businesses into global brands. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of The Ganni Holdings, a business he established in 2007. 

The holding has several business interests in construction, international trade, agriculture, real estate and business consultancy. He is also the life patron of The David Afugani Foundation which supports less endowed but bright students from poor communities. One of the foundation’s beneficiaries recently graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon with First Class Honours and is currently a teaching assistant in the school.  

Mr. Afugani worked as a Chief Operating Officer-West Africa with mobile company, Rlg. He also worked with Zain Communications Ghana Limited as the National Sales Manager. Prior to joining Zain in 2008, Mr Afugani held several managerial roles with British American Tobacco Ghana and Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited. 

Information on the organisation’s website says KickStart’s mission is to lift millions of people in Africa out of poverty, quickly, cost-effectively and sustainably. KickStart succeeds by designing, promoting and mass-marketing simple money-making tools that small-holder farmers buy and use to start highly profitable family enterprises. 

These new businesses create a sustainable solution to the rural poor’s most important need —a way to make more money—and enable the farmers to lift their families out of poverty.

KickStart believes that self-motivated private entrepreneurs managing small-scale enterprises can play a dynamic role in the economies of developing countries. These entrepreneurs can raise small amounts of capital ($100-$1,000 US) to start a new enterprise. KickStart then helps them to identify viable business opportunities and access the technologies required to launch the new enterprises.

In addition to promoting small enterprise development, KickStart’s technologies, expertise, and methods are widely applied throughout Africa to support programs in agriculture, shelter, water, sanitation, health, and relief.

Other organizations have distributed our pumps across Africa and today, thousands are in use in Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Mali, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Sudan and Rwanda. KickStart is rated Four Star on the Charity Navigator.