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RippleNami, Inc. is a global B2B technology provider of a blockchain data visualisation platform. Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) is a veterinary professional organisation to ensure proper management of veterinary issues with an overall aim of enhancing animal welfare. To discover the recipe for success behind these two market leaders’ alliance, we unveil a story of innovation between Jaye Connolly-LaBelle, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RippleNami and Dr. Samuel Kahariri, National Chairman of Kenya Veterinary Association.
Below is our recent interview with Jaye Connolly, CEO at RippleNami and Dr. Samuel Kahariri, Chairman at Kenya Veterinary Association:
Q: What are the ingredients of RippleNami and KVA’s strategic partnership and how did you start?
A: “The East African economy is growing, and we understand the need to obtain and deploy advanced technology in order to combat the unique challenges of conducting business in this region,” said Dr. Samuel Kahariri. Laikipia County government collaborated with the KVA and RippleNami to launch a livestock identification and traceability solution aimed at curbing cattle theft in the region. In less than sixty days, the first phase of this initiative reached its registration objectives of 40,000 cattle, 702 owners and 381 premises. The cattle have been registered and fitted with Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) technology and are transmitting information about the animal’s real-time movement, its history and the owner.
“We chose to begin this project in Laikipia County since it’s a leader in the beef sector and the county government plus other stakeholders have shown a lot of interest,” said Dr. Samuel Kahariri.
“When we dare to transform emerging economies by providing digital identities to assets such as cattle then providing real-time mapping vital geo-assets, new economic advantages for suppliers such as cattle owners and buyer exchanges are generated and that is at the very soul of RippleNami, said Jaye Connolly-LaBelle. “This new partnership is fueled by a shared vision to empower social, economic and civic development beyond all imagination.”
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Q: You have recently announced Kenya’s first real-time livestock identification and traceability system (LITS). What does this involve and what new capabilities are on the table?
A: The Livestock Identification and Traceability System in Kenya is making use of Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) technology, integrated with RippleNami’s platform. This allows veterinary officers to identify, register and capture the data on animal owners, premises and linking each animal asset from farm to fork. This system aids in disease control and management and curtails illegal livestock movement and the rampant cattle theft in key parts of the country. The system also helps in tracking health records at the point of treatment and monitoring weight gain in targeted animals. A critical advantage of establishing this new marketplace for tagged cattle is that it opens financial and insurance services against these assets. Additionally, this proprietary platform identifies the lineage of each animal and is instrumental in managing breeding programs that improve productivity and are devoid of inbreeding.
Launching this programme addresses long standing challenges such as disease control and surveillance and traceability, drug residues in animals and animal products, insufficient health and food safety hygiene standards and systems, among others. Through this innovative partnership, livestock producers are capturing essential data on husbandry including feeding, vaccinations and treatment. These producers are now empowered to access improved markets, insurance services and credit facilities with their livestock enterprises as the collateral, control livestock movement and husbandry management. With RippleNami’s end-to-end solution, banks are now positioned to offer cattle owners micro-lending privileges and sustained financial support.
“The power to geographically visualise the registration of individual animals, farms, holdings, premises and herds now permits us to identify risk areas, create disease free zones and assure livestock traceability for optimal trade and food safety. Furthermore, the collateralisation of these livestock assets allows farmers to negotiate higher livestock prices, secure loans and access growth capital,” said Dr. Samuel Kahariri. “Most notably, this public-private partnership’s strategic advantage is the establishment of a new marketplace for tagged cattle. This now opens the flood gates for financial and insurance services against these prized assets.”
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Q: Why did KVA select RippleNami’s platform?
A: “KVA needed to aggressively tackle long-standing challenges such as disease surveillance and traceability, drug residues in meat and meat by-products, insufficient health and food safety hygiene standards and systems, among others. Through this innovative partnership, livestock producers are now capturing essential data on husbandry including feeding, vaccinations and treatment. These producers are now emboldened to control livestock movement and manage their livelihood in ways not previously possible. Additionally, with RippleNami’s end-to-end solution in place banks are now positioned to offer cattle owners with micro-lending privileges and sustained financial support.” Dr. Samuel Kahariri further explained KVA’s initial appeal to RippleNami’s technology solution was the integration of RFID technology. This livestock identification method allows veterinary officers to identify and quarantine animals while tracking health records at the point of treatment and monitor weight gain in targeted animals. This proprietary platform also selects specific cattle for breeding programmes and tracks animal family trees.
Q: Why is a San Diego-based company focused mainly on Africa?
A: “Our biggest challenge is our biggest opportunity. RippleNami was borne purely out of frustration by how each year BILLIONS of humanitarian aid in developing nations NEVER reaches those in need. Over the span of decades and despite billions in global development investment and humanitarian aid, few Africa economies have been measurably elevated. And yet a vast majority of these countries are immensely rich in resources and most importantly in untapped human capital. RippleNami is working to reverse this historical trend by working with these country’s governmental leaders towards establishing greater sovereignty,” said Jaye Connolly-LaBelle. “As your readers know better than most, for every problem there exists an opportunity. Today, 3 billion of our global citizens don’t have any documents to verify their identity much less their assets. Lack of identification prohibits people’s ability to use banks and inhibits access to basic rights like voting, agriculture, health care, education and travel. Without a reliable data infrastructure, these people are unable to capture the meaningful events in their lives: property ownership, health records, education certificates, and business licenses. The biggest challenge is the race against the clock to proliferate this technology to those most in need of connectivity.”
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Q: What are your future plans?
A: “In today’s world, when it is it often hard to trust each other, the RippleNami solution becomes a trusted platform on which to collaborate, access economic opportunities, deliver services and conduct business,” explained Jaye Connolly-LaBelle. “Our mission is to rapidly deploy our enabling technology throughout the African continent one country at a time and lift an entire population to levels unseen in modern history.”
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