WISE – Wireless Solutions for Fisheries in Senegal

Senegal's fisheries employ more than 600,000 people, yet the artisanal fishers – and the women who process their catch – are squeezed by a lack of timely price information, credit, and best-practice know-how.

WISE, funded by Qualcomm Wireless Reach and implemented by FHI 360, put advanced wireless technology to work for them: an electronic fish-market price system delivering fresh and processed prices over a 3G network, mobile-money loans through local microfinance institutions, mobile video on processing best practices, and health and HIV-prevention education. Because women are central to the value chain, closing the gender gap was a design priority, not an afterthought.

It was a collaboration of FHI 360, Qualcomm Wireless Reach, the Senegalese Food Security Commission, Intermondes, and TIGO-Senegal (2014–2016).