ACCELERATION OF DIGITAL HUMANITARIAN AID: A

CASE OF THE DIGITAL HUMANITARIAN ECOSYSTEM IN

BIDI BIDI UGANDA

BY

NDINDA MUTHWALE

UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY-AFRICA

SUMMER 2020

ii

ACCELERATION OF DIGITAL HUMANITARIAN AID: A

CASE OF THE DIGITAL HUMANITARIAN ECOSYSTEM IN

BIDI BIDI UGANDA

BY

NDINDA MUTHWALE

A Research Project Report Submitted to the School of

Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree

of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

NAIROBI

SUMMER 2020

iii

STUDENT’S DECLARATION

I the undersigned declare that this is my original work and has not been submitted to any other

college, institution or university other than the United States International University-Africa

for academic credit.

…………………………………... ………………………………..

Ndinda Muthwale (615101) Date

This proposal has been presented for examination with my approval as the appointed

supervisor.

…………………………………… ……………………………….

Dr. Kefah Njenga, PhD Date

Signed: …………………………… ………………………………..

Dean, Chandaria School of Business Date

iv

COPYRIGHT

©Copyright Ndinda, 2020

All Rights Reserved

v

ABSTRACT

The study sought to establish the effects of the digital humanitarian ecosystem on acceleration

of digital humanitarian aid. The specific objectives of the study were to explore the effects of

the multi layered digital supply chain on acceleration of digital humanitarian aid, to highlight

the effects of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on the acceleration of digital humanitarian

aid and to find out the influence of policy regulations on the acceleration of digital

humanitarian aid.

The study adopted a descriptive study design targeting fifteen thousand refugees in Bidi Bidi

camp Uganda who are working with Mercy Corps. The sampling frame constituted the men,

women and Persons With Disabilities (PWD’s). The sample size of 390 respondents was

determined scientifically using Yamane formula. Selection of the respondents in the sample

was done using stratified sampling method. Primary data was collected with help of the

questionnaire. Prior to data collection, the questionnaire was pilot tested among 15 respondents

who were not included in the final sample. Piloting was meant to establish the reliability of the

tools. The collected data was summarized using means and standard deviations and analyzed

using regression analysis. The findings were presented in form of tables and figures.

The results of the indicated that the multi layered digital supply chain which constitutes donors,

humanitarian agencies and beneficiaries collectively play a significant role in the acceleration

of digital humanitarian aid. The results also revealed a statistical significance in the presence

of MNO’s, mobile phone penetration and reliable connectivity infrastructure contributes to the

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid in Bidi Bidi Uganda. The study did establish that the

availability policy regulations and policy makers have a statistical significance on the

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid in Bidi Bidi Uganda. The findings on the purpose of

the study indicated that the digital humanitarian ecosystem in its entirety had significant effects

on the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid.

The study concludes that all the components in the multilayered digital supply chain including

the donors, humanitarian agencies and beneficiaries significantly influence the acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid. The study concludes presence of MNO’s, mobile phone penetration

vi

and reliable infrastructure and access to mobile money is significant to the acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid. Finally, this study concludes availability of policies regulations

coupled with policy implementation by policy makers along with data and privacy frameworks

is significant to the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid.

The study recommends the components of the multi layered digital supply chain in Bidi Bidi

in this case the donors, the humanitarian agency Mercy Corps and beneficiaries in Bidi Bidi

camp should work in tandem with regards to sharing of critical information pertaining to

digital humanitarian aid. Agendas should be synchronized in order to scale disbursement if

digital aid which will improve the livelihoods of the vulnerable groups in Bidi Bidi. The

study recommends that the MNO is operation in Bidi Bidi which is Airtel should work in

tandem with the humanitarian agency in this case Mercy Corps and third-party mobile phone

providers in order to increase mobile phone penetration in Bidi Bidi. This partnership should

also include campaigns centered on digital literacy to educate vulnerable groups on the

benefits of using mobile money so as to ramp up the use of mobile money in Bidi Bidi. The

study recommends the policy regulators in the government of Uganda and the private sector

should develop consistent data protection and privacy frameworks to encourage uptake of

digital identity and adoption of identity-linked mobile services.

vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I thank God for giving me grace to complete this research project. I extent my gratitude to my

supervisor, Dr. Kefah Njenga for the support during the development of this project.

viii

DEDICATION

I dedicate this research project to my daughter Hailey; her brilliant mind continues to challenge

me and is a source of inspiration every day. Special dedication goes to my siblings Stella,

Lizzie and Gerald for being constant sounding boards both personally and professionally and

to my parents Mr. and the late Mrs. Muthwale for their never-ending support, encouragement,

wisdom and love.

ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STUDENT’S DECLARATION ........................................................................................ iii

COPYRIGHT ..................................................................................................................... iv

ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.................................................................................................vii

DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... ix

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................xii

LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................... xiv

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS........................................................................... xv

CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................. 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background of the Study.............................................................................................. 1

1.2 Statement of the problem ............................................................................................. 4

1.3 Purpose of the Study .................................................................................................... 5

1.4 Research Objectives ..................................................................................................... 6

1.5 Significance of the study .............................................................................................. 6

1.5.1 Significance to Humanitarian Agencies ................................................................. 6

1.5.2 Significance to Mobile Network Operators............................................................ 6

1.5.3 Significance to Beneficiaries who are the vulnerable people in crises .................... 6

1.6 Scope of the Study ....................................................................................................... 7

1.7 Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................... 7

1.7.1 Digital Humanitarian Assistance ........................................................................... 7

1.7.2 Vulnerable Groups ................................................................................................ 7

1.7.3 Humanitarian Agencies ......................................................................................... 7

1.7.4 Mobile Network Operators .................................................................................... 7

1.7.5 Mobile Money ...................................................................................................... 7

1.7.6 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) ................................................................. 8

1.7.7 Know Your Customer (KYC)................................................................................ 8

x

1.7.8 Unbanked.............................................................................................................. 8

1.8 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................ 8

CHAPTER TWO................................................................................................................. 9

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................. 9

2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 9

2.2 The multi layered Humanitarian Supply Chain and its effects on the acceleration of

digital aid ..................................................................................................................... 9

2.2.1 Donors in the Humanitarian Supply Chain .......................................................... 11

2.2.2 Humanitarian Agencies as a layer in the Digital Humanitarian Supply Chain. ..... 12

2.2.3 Beneficiaries ....................................................................................................... 13

2.3 Effects of Mobile Network Operators (MNO’s) on the acceleration of digital

humanitarian aid ......................................................................................................... 14

2.3.1 Infrastructure ...................................................................................................... 14

2.3.2 Mobile phone penetration .................................................................................... 15

2.3.3 Access to Mobile Money ..................................................................................... 16

2.4 Effects of policy regulations on acceleration of digital aid ......................................... 17

2.4.1 Data Protection and Privacy Frameworks ............................................................ 20

2.5 Chapter Summary ...................................................................................................... 21

CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 22

3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................ 22

3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 22

3.2 Research Design ........................................................................................................ 22

3.3 Population and Sampling Design ............................................................................... 22

3.3.1 Population ........................................................................................................... 22

3.3.2 Sampling Design ................................................................................................. 23

3.3.3 Sampling Frame .................................................................................................. 23

3.3.4 Sampling Technique ........................................................................................... 23

3.3.5 Sample Size ........................................................................................................ 23

xi

3.4 Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 24

3.5 Research Procedure ................................................................................................... 24

3.6 Data Analysis Methods .............................................................................................. 25

3.7 Chapter Summary ...................................................................................................... 26

CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................. 27

4.0 RESULTS AND FINDINGS ....................................................................................... 27

4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 27

4.2 Response Rate ........................................................................................................... 27

4.3 General Information ................................................................................................... 28

4.3.1 Gender Distribution of Respondents .................................................................... 28

4.3.2 Age of the Respondents....................................................................................... 28

4.3.3 Marital Status of Respondents ............................................................................. 28

4.3.4 Level of Education .............................................................................................. 29

4.4 Descriptive Statistics.................................................................................................. 29

4.4.2 Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

.................................................................................................................................... 29

4.4.3 Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid .......... 31

4.4.4 Policy Regulations and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid ...................... 33

4.5 Regression Results ..................................................................................................... 33

4.5.1 Model Summary ................................................................................................. 34

4.5.2 Analysis of Variance ........................................................................................... 34

4.5.3 Regression Beta Coefficients .............................................................................. 35

4.6 Chapter Summary ...................................................................................................... 35

CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................... 36

5.0 DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................... 36

5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 36

5.2 Summary ................................................................................................................... 36

5.3 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 39

5.3.1 Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

xii

.................................................................................................................................... 39

5.3.2 Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid .......... 41

5.3.3 Policy Regulations and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid ...................... 44

5.4 Conclusion................................................................................................................. 46

5.4.1 Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

.................................................................................................................................... 46

5.4.2 Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid .......... 47

5.4.3 Policy Regulations and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid ...................... 47

5.5 Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 48

5.5.1 Recommendations for Improvement .................................................................... 48

5.5.2 Recommendation for Further Research ............................................................... 49

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 50

APPENDICES ................................................................................................................... 57

APPENDIX 1: COVER LETTER .................................................................................... 57

APPENDIX 2: RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE ............................................................ 58

APPENDIX 4: PERMISSION TO COLLECT DATA FROM USIU ............................. 65

APPENDIX 3: RESEARCH LICENSE ........................................................................... 66

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1: Reliability Results ............................................................................................... 25

Table 4.1: Gender Distribution of Respondents ................................................................... 28

Table 4.2: Age of the Respondents ...................................................................................... 28

Table 4.3: Marital Status of Respondents ............................................................................. 29

Table 4.4: Level of Education .............................................................................................. 29

Table 4.5: Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

............................................................................................................................................ 29

Table 4.6: Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid .......... 31

Table 4.7: Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid .......... 33

xiii

Table 4.8: Model Summary ................................................................................................. 34

Table 4.9: Analysis of Variance ........................................................................................... 34

Table 4.10: Regression Beta Coefficients ............................................................................ 35

xiv

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2. 1 A typical humanitarian supply chain .................................................................. 10

Figure 4.1: Response Rate ................................................................................................... 27

xv

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

FDP Forcibly Displaced Persons

KYC Know Your Customer

MNO Mobile Money Operator

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

SDG Sustainable Development Goals

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

WFP World Food Program

WHO World Health Organization

1

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Humanitarian assistance is defined as: ”the impartial, independent and neutral provision of aid

to those in immediate danger”(Smith, 2016).

In May 2016, 9000 representatives from United Nations member states, Non-Governmental

Organization (NGOs), the private sector, international organizations and affected people came

together to make over 3700 commitments to change the approach toward humanitarian aid.

The objective of this was to alleviate human suffering, reduce risk and vulnerability worldwide.

The United Nations stated that there are currently 125 million people in need of humanitarian

assistance, 60 million all over the globe have been forced to flee their homes, 37 countries

greatly affected and $20 billion needed as aid to cater for vulnerable groups (Agenda for

Humanity, 2016)

Globally as the number of people affected by humanitarian crises continues to rise and as crises

become more prolonged, donors, humanitarian agencies and Governments are responding in

different ways by integrating innovative approaches and using digital technology to increase

accountability, efficiency, transparency and social impact. These deviations, among others, are

laying the foundation for a digital ecosystem within the humanitarian context. Digital

technology has become a vital tool in driving social development and inclusive economic

growth round the world. (Chu, 2017)

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA)

estimated that in 2019, there would be 131.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance

across the globe, at a cost of approximately $25.3 billon – $400 million more than in 2018, the

highest on record. To try and reach as many of these people as possible in every continent, the

humanitarian sector is moving towards delivering large portions of this assistance as via digital

transfers. These transfers provide efficiency gains in terms of time, delivery and transparency.

(UNOCHA, 2019).

In addition, global estimates suggest that volumes of assistance provided digitally are growing

2

rapidly to US$2.8 billion, up from US$2.0 billion in 2015, an increase of 40% some of the

beneficiaries include countries like Syria, Haiti, Jordan and Pakistan. Improvements still need

to be made in tracking digital aid, reporting systems and developmental mechanisms to track

it at sufficiently disaggregated levels (Development Initiatives, 2018)

In North American and Asia in 2016, the UNHCR and WFP distributed approximately two

thirds of aid digitally. Both organizations are aggressively increasing their digital aid

programming while using a combination of different disbursement modalities. In most cases,

the WFP uses an in-house system called SCOPE which distributes approximately 80 per cent

of funding via vouchers, while UNHCR registers beneficiaries through its progress system and

delivers cash 99 per cent of the time (cash includes digital payments). Both systems are

designed to stand alone or work with a private sector payments provider (GSMA Mobile for

Humanitarian Innovation, 2019).

In the Middle East specifically Jordan, the Central Bank in 2018, supported by the Gates

Foundation, launched the Mobile Money for Resilience (MM4R) initiative to provide digital

aid to refugees and host communities. In addition, GIZ has assisted the Central Bank since

2011 with microfinance and financial inclusion interventions, and supported the inclusion of

refugees in the development of the JoMoPay platform. GIZ has also been running a

collaborative financial literacy campaign, working with 20 partners to increase awareness and

use of mobile money accounts. (Casswell, 2018).

In Africa, countries such as Nigeria and Rwanda and Sudan have piloted digital cash transfers

and this is taking more time to scale because of the common perception that traditional ways

of distributing aid is most effective coupled with initial startup costs for example those

associated infrastructure, technology and mobile phone ownership (International Monetary

Fund, 2018)

In East Africa, Uganda is considered the largest recipient of fleeing migrants with the total

daily new arrivals of refugees averaging nearly 3,000 in March 2018. It is here we see the

mobile industry and humanitarian sector actively collaborating to deliver humanitarian

assistance specifically to vulnerable groups via digital aid. Such partnerships are a first for

MNOs in Uganda who are speedily adapting their mobile money services to meet the needs of

3

their humanitarian partners specifically Airtel and Mercy Corps, and the second between MTN

and the International Rescue Committee(Mercy Corps, 2019)

Adoption and implementation of technology in delivering humanitarian assistance is delivered

via Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) previously referred to as Cash Transfer Programming

(CTP). This mechanism is used to provide resources to vulnerable groups in two main ways-

by providing them directly with cash or by giving them vouchers (Doocy, Tappis, & Lyles,

2016). Part of this equation is mobile money as a service which involves transferring money

and making payments using a mobile phone. Mobile money accounts enable end users to send

money, load airtime, and in addition pay for some bills, subject to service availability (GSMA,

2010a).

Given mobile money’s potential to reach more people and it being easily accessible than

banking services in developing countries, adoption and uptake should be seriously taken into

account for this to work as the default delivery mechanism, for forcibly displaced people and

vulnerable people such as women and persons with disabilities (PWD’s) in low-income and

lower-middle-income countries. Mobile network operators are uniquely positioned to offer

mobile money services that are inclusive and affordable for the unbanked and the underserved

in the society(Doocy et al., 2016)

In the humanitarian sector, when aid is administered digitally, it takes 3 forms. The first one is

cash transfer to a mobile money account where funds are transferred from the primary

organization to the recipient’s mobile money account. The recipient must be registered for a

mobile money account in order to access these funds, which they can then either withdraw at

a mobile money agent outlet, or spend using the range of financial services available via that

mobile money wallet. If the sending organization allows it, funds can even be stored in the

account for future use. The second form is Cash transfer via mobile voucher where funds are

transferred as a mobile cash-out voucher, which provides the recipient with the means to access

a set value of cash that they can withdraw at an agent outlet. Recipients receive an SMS on

their phones and use this and identity documents to cash-out at a nearby agent. The recipient

does not need to open a mobile money account in order to access the funds. Finally, the third

4

form is Cash transfer via mobile voucher for goods and services where funds are transferred

as a mobile merchant voucher, which provides the recipient with the means to acquire a

product/service (e.g. food item or agricultural input) from designated merchants. The recipient

does not need to open a mobile money account to spend the voucher, and cash cannot be

withdrawn (GSMA, 2018) .

1.2 Statement of the problem

Global crises are becoming even more complex and long lasting. Currently over one billion

people live in countries facing protracted crises. The countries experiencing these crises rose

from 13 in 2005 to 31 in 2019 and these countries combined are home to the world’s most

vulnerable and poorest populations. As a result of this a strategic approach is required to

meet the immediate and longer term needs of these populations along with strengthening

resilience to even newer shocks (Development Initiatives, 2020).

Despite the known efficiency, flexibility and choice that digital humanitarian assistance

brings to beneficiaries compared with traditional in-kind assistance, challenges still remain in

the adoption and deployments of cash voucher assistance by all humanitarian agencies. In

2019 the UN alone accounted for 62% of digital humanitarian aid to beneficiaries in

comparison to 53% in 2017. In addition WFP alone accounted for 38% of the digital

humanitarian aid disbursed in 2019 globally (Development Initiatives, 2020).

This study therefore aimed at investigating the digital humanitarian ecosystem in its entirety.

The study focused on 3 key areas: the first one being the multi layered digital supply chain

which has multiple components including donors, humanitarian agencies, and the

beneficiaries. The typical delivery of humanitarian aid does not go directly from donor to

beneficiary as it passes through multiple institutional agencies from the donor to the local NGO

in the host country to the local partners and eventually reaching the beneficiaries. These layers

in and of themselves present different complexities, priorities and goals for each stakeholder

(GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation, 2019)

5

The second key area the study is contributing to previous studies and filing this gap in literature

on the role Mobile Network Operators play at the center of the digital humanitarian ecosystem.

For the digital ecosystem to function first and foremost there is need for mobile infrastructure

and digital connectivity to be in place in order to facilitate digital aid. Once this is in place the

Mobile Network Operators then design the mobile money platform in tandem with the

humanitarian agencies in order to transfer digital aid to the intended recipients (GSMA,

2017b).

The final key focus area will be on how existing policies or lack thereof surrounding

disbursement of digital aid hinder and or slow down the acceleration of digital aid. The study

aims to identify and highlight the missing links and roadblocks that key stakeholders must take

into account in order to achieve efficient acceleration of digital aid, whilst focusing on the

beneficiaries needs.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the digital humanitarian ecosystem

on acceleration of digital humanitarian aid.

6

1.4 Research Objectives

1.4.1 To explore the effects of the multi layered digital supply chain on acceleration of digital

humanitarian aid

1.4.2 To highlight the effects of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on the acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid

1.4.3 To establish the influence of policy regulations on the acceleration of digital humanitarian

aid

1.5 Significance of the study

The findings of the study may contribute to the below stakeholders

1.5.1 Significance to Humanitarian Agencies

Provide data and insights for humanitarian agencies after identifying the bottlenecks

contributing to a lack of acceleration so as to influence the design of digital interventions that

can better serve vulnerable groups.

1.5.2 Significance to Mobile Network Operators

Mobile Network Operators may benefit from the study in that they may now have an

understanding specific to vulnerable people in crises situations, how to best approach these

unique situations while illustrating the power of mobile technology to support vulnerable

people and promote broader financial inclusion.

1.5.3 Significance to Beneficiaries who are the vulnerable people in crises

Beneficiaries may benefit from this study in that humanitarian agencies in partnership with the

mobile network operators may now be in a position to address the barriers that affect

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid which will lead to greater choice, flexibility, dignity

and economic empowerment that comes with restarting livelihoods.

7

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study focused on the digital humanitarian ecosystem and its effects on the acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid. The respondents in this case constituted players within the digital

ecosystem with a focus on Bidi Bidi a refugee camp where there are a quarter million people

living in its many villages in northern Uganda. It’s the second largest refugee settlement in

the world, after the Rohingya camp in Bangladesh where under one of the world’s most

progressive policies, those who’ve fled civil war in South Sudan are able to live and work

freely (Nina Strochlic, 2019)

1.7 Definition of Terms

1.7.1 Digital Humanitarian Assistance

Digital humanitarian assistance is commonly known as Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA),

previously referred to as Cash Transfer Programming (CTP), a common option for

humanitarian response. The term is used only to refer to cash transfers or vouchers given

directly to aid recipients - individuals, households (International Monetary Fund, 2018).

1.7.2 Vulnerable Groups

These are children, pregnant women, elderly people, malnourished people, people who are ill

or immunocompromised, people living with disabilities and are particularly disposed when a

disaster strikes, and take a relatively high share of the disease burden associated with

emergencies (World Health Organization, 2012)

1.7.3 Humanitarian Agencies

Humanitarian agencies exist to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity

during and after man-made crises and disasters caused by natural hazards, as well as to prevent

and strengthen preparedness for when such situations occur (UNHCR, 2015).

1.7.4 Mobile Network Operators

A company that has a government-issued license to provide telecommunications services

through mobile devices (UNHCR, 2015)

1.7.5 Mobile Money

Mobile money as a service involves transferring money and making payments using a mobile

8

phone. A mobile money account enables customers to send person-to-person (P2P) payments,

conduct airtime top-ups - adding credit to a mobile phone - and pay bills, subject to service

availability which varies by country (GSMA, 2010)

1.7.6 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more

sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related

to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice

(Sustainable Development Goals, 2015)

1.7.7 Know Your Customer (KYC)

This is part of the customer due diligence performed by regulated financial service providers,

which are required by law to verify the identity of all their clients as mitigation against money

laundering and terrorism financing (Cash Delivery Mechanism, 2015)

1.7.8 Unbanked

Customers, usually the very poor, who do not have a bank account or a transaction account at

a formal financial institution(World Bank, 2018)

1.8 Chapter Summary

The chapter covers an introduction to the background of the study, a statement of the problem,

purpose of the study, importance, scope of the study and the definition of terms. The next

chapter reviews the literature on the objectives that guided the study.

9

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter confers the literature review undertaken for the study. The purpose of a literature

review is to provide a rationale for a study, put it into context of what is known about the topic

and provide an overview of research conducted on the same topic. Literature review also helps

to determine gaps or incongruities in a body of research. It also assists the researcher in

understanding the findings and in specifying implications and also in articulating

recommendations (Hannah, 2019).

This section reviews literature on the multi layered digital supply chain on acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid, it also reviews literature on Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) as

key stakeholders in acceleration of digital humanitarian aid and reviews literature how current

policies or lack thereof affect the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid.

2.2 The multi layered Humanitarian Supply Chain and its effects on the acceleration of

digital aid

The Humanitarian Supply Chain is defined as the process of planning, implementing and

controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow of aid, storage of material, as well as related

information, from the point of origin to the point of consumption for the purpose of alleviating

the suffering of vulnerable people. The function encompasses a range of activities, including

preparedness, planning, procurement, transport, warehousing, tracking and tracing, and

customs clearance (Anisya S. Thomas & Laura Rock Kopczak, 2005).

The typical humanitarian supply chain delivery mechanism does not go directly from donor to

recipient as it passes through multiple institutional agencies from the donor to the local NGO

in the recipient country to the local partners and eventually reaching the recipients. Below is

an example of the layers involved (Oloruntoba Richard & Gray Richard, 2006a).

10

Figure 2. 1 A typical humanitarian supply chain

The digital humanitarian supply chain is just as complex because it involves multiple

stakeholders in a multifaceted ecosystem. These players include donors, humanitarian

agencies, MNOs, and the beneficiaries. Each of these operates with different focuses,

capabilities and agendas. This may be further exacerbated by increased competition for donor

funding, or an unwillingness to share and adopt alternative approaches towards humanitarian

assistance. Together, this leads to siloed efforts, making harmonization and standardization

within the digital ecosystem difficult. There is therefore the need for concerted efforts amongst

all stakeholders to ensure the over aching end goal which is humanitarian assistance to

vulnerable groups (Puri & Karunakara, 2016)

In addition, this complexity comes with its own challenges because the individual goals of the

various players involved in humanitarian operations do not always lead to integrated and

coordinated efforts. The different styles of management and administrative structures, together

with the complexities of relationships between different organizations, undermine the

implementation of effective strategies within the supply chain. This has in turn led to very little

sharing of information and data between relevant stakeholders translating to delay in decision

making and turnaround time when it comes to roll out of the actual digital humanitarian aid

(Costa, Campos, & Bandeira, 2012).

11

2.2.1 Donors in the Humanitarian Supply Chain

In order to meet the needs of the vulnerable groups affected by humanitarian crises, sufficient

funding is more than critical. International funding over the past 5 years has pivoted from first

level recipients to government donors funding multi-lateral organizations and private donors

funding majority of NGO’s (Development Initiatives, 2020).

In addition to this, The United Nations is still heavily relied upon by the international

community to guide, coordinate and fund humanitarian relief operations which are beyond the

relief capacities of national governments and humanitarian agencies alone. The United Nations

is dependent upon pooled funds from different donors in order to enable hasty and tactical

humanitarian response. In 2018 75% of these funds were contributed by 5 countries; United

Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands and Germany versus only 5-6% of humanitarian

assistance being contributed by the public.(United Nations, 2020)

Donors operate with different focuses, capabilities and agendas which may be different from

the needs of humanitarian agencies and beneficiaries. Donors dictate the terms associated with

their grants such as short spending deadlines, timelines associated with utilization of funds

which cannot be carried forward to subsequent years, minimal allocation of un earmarked

funds, heavy reporting due to donors expecting heavily customized reports and complex due

diligence processes when choosing a range of potential partners and causes to work with all of

which significantly affect and delay the implementation of humanitarian efforts due to the

amount of time and resources allocated towards these requirements.(OECD Development Co-

operation Directorate, 2014)

Once donors secure their funding majority prefer working with ear marked funds which comes

with a lot of conditions and lack of flexibility attached to the disbursing the funds. Earmarking

is defined as any condition applied by a donor to restrict a contribution or part of a contribution

to a specific project, activity and geographical area (OECD Development Co-operation

Directorate, 2014). Ear marking tends to have the donor’s preference at the center of the

mechanism of funding which tends to inhibit equitable distribution of funds leading to either

an over funding or under funding of certain programs.

12

2.2.2 Humanitarian Agencies as a layer in the Digital Humanitarian Supply Chain.

Humanitarian agencies both local and international are guided by four main principles which

are at the core of their complex operations. These principles are humanity, neutrality,

impartiality and independence. These principles provide the foundations for humanitarian

action and are central to establishing and maintaining access to affected people, whether in a

natural disaster or a multifaceted emergency, such as war and conflict. (UNOCHA, 2020).

Humanitarian agencies face a myriad of challenges in their operations ranging from access

substantial funding, unpredictability of natural resources, bureaucracy and more importantly,

limited familiarity with and awareness of technology which would allow them to disburse

digital aid and get actual timely feedback from their beneficiaries whilst being more

accountable to the vulnerable groups they serve.

In addition, humanitarian agencies often lack the awareness and resources to realize the cross-

sectoral benefits made possible by the structured availability of MNO data. They don’t know

the best way to frame beneficiary data requests, pay for availability or utilize analytical

approaches to make the most out of what is available. This reduces the likelihood of usage,

hinders coordination across ministries or organizations in submitting data requests, makes

payment burdensome, and limits their own internal capacity building (GSMA, 2017a)

On the converse, complexities arise because technology providers themselves often have a

limited awareness of the humanitarian sector, leading to a breakdown of sharing useful and

effective learning from these tech innovators. Additionally, there may be a mismatch between

the protection mandates of humanitarian agencies and using technology to generate customers’

digital footprints by capturing sensitive personal information—this can potentially put

vulnerable populations at risk and will need to be addressed given this tends to cause a lag in

the acceleration of digital aid (Oloruntoba Richard & Gray Richard, 2006a).

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2.2.3 Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries are at the center of all humanitarian programs. A distinguishing feature of the

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals is the emphasis on reaching beneficiaries

that are the poorest and the most vulnerable around the world. Paragraph 23 of the Agenda

refers to these vulnerable groups as, “all children, youth, persons with disabilities (of whom

more than 80% live in poverty), people living with HIV/AIDS, older persons, indigenous

peoples, refugees and internally displaced persons and migrants” as well as “people living in

areas affected by complex humanitarian emergencies and in areas affected by

terrorism”(Sustainable Development Goals, 2020).

In 2019, an estimate of 215.6 million people living in 69 countries around the world were

assessed to be in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Majority of these people were in Syria,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and Yemen.(Development Initiatives, 2020)

Studies have shown complexities with beneficiaries specifically in the digital supply chain

revolve around access to these technologies and literacy. At the fore front is the availability

and affordability of mobile phones and mobile enabled devices. Whether beneficiaries can gain

access to and afford these technologies greatly impacts the types of solutions that are

considered and the viability of digital aid which greatly impacts acceleration of aid. In Bidi

Bidi, there is a low mobile handset penetration rate. Mobile phone ownership rates range from

10% - 30%. Ownership remains low because these are the most vulnerable people within the

community, with limited means of generating income to purchase mobile phone handsets

(Mobile for Development GSMA, 2019).

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2.3 Effects of Mobile Network Operators (MNO’s) on the acceleration of digital

humanitarian aid

There is growing recognition among donors and humanitarian organizations that mobile

technology and mobile network operators (MNOs) have an important role to play in delivering

dignified digital aid, while also providing a path to self-sufficiency for people affected by

crisis, especially those facing protracted humanitarian crises. Mobile technology can improve

access to mobile money, utility services and identity services, and help to strengthen resilience

to climate change (Casswell, 2018).

Mobile money entirely digitizes the distribution process, removing the need to manage heavy

logistics and greatly reduces the time required for field activities. These efficiencies enable

humanitarian agencies reach more vulnerable groups of people with the limited aid budgets

available and to track these resources much more closely for improved auditability and risk

management (GSMA, 2010b).

Not only are mobile money accounts an effective tool for supporting affected people to meet

their basic needs through digital aid, they can also improve access to financial services needed

to support jobs, and longer-term income-earning opportunities. In addition, a well-designed

mobile money service has many competitive advantages when compared to a bank-based

system that makes it the preferred system in appropriate contexts. MNOs generally have a

lower cost basis per customer, more mass-market retail experience and large sales and

distribution systems. Furthermore, they are more likely to have many more customers

registered for voice and data services, if not mobile money directly (Mobile for Development

GSMA, 2019).

2.3.1 Infrastructure

For the digital ecosystem to function first and foremost there is need for mobile and digital

infrastructure and to be in place in order to facilitate digital aid. To ensure sufficient

connectivity, infrastructure and systems need to be set up in advance which can take several

months to build which is costly and can be a strain on time-sensitive humanitarian contexts. In

15

rural areas where basic connectivity does not exist, the cost of building and operating mobile

infrastructure may be twice the cost compared with urban areas and the revenues 10 times

smaller.(Hatt, Gardner, Wills, & Harris, 2013)

When it comes to availability of existing infrastructure, in rural and or remote locations where

the humanitarian agency is present and the disaster has occurred, a comprehensive assessment

of the existing set-up is necessary to ensure the fundamentals for mobile money are in place or

can be installed to create an enabling environment for disbursement of digital aid. These

include at least 2G mobile coverage for mobile money services, energy sources to recharge

handsets, proximity of financial infrastructure or a reliable source of cash for rebalancing

agents securely. (GSMA Mobile for Development - Mobile for Development Utilities, 2018).

Mobile money infrastructure development also brings along network improvements that

benefit all refugee and host populations, for example, players like Mercy Corps in Uganda

advocated for good network coverage to facilitate mobile money transfers, but this also

supported the entire refugee population to utilize the improved network coverage to

communicate with their relatives and friends though voice and data. Airtime purchases also

became possible using the developing mobile money agent network (Mercy Corps, 2019) .

2.3.2 Mobile phone penetration

Mobile ownership, access and use are part of the foundation of a developing digital ecosystem

as they enable MNO’s to offer additional mobile enabled services such as mobile money.

According to the UNHCR, mobile phone penetration in refugee contexts particularly Syria,

Rwanda and Uganda is still low with only over a third of refugees are mobile phone owners.

Refugees tend to access mobile phones in creative ways from sharing, borrowing to having

multiple SIM cards with the most used services being voice and SMS. (UNHCR, 2016)

Barriers to mobile ownership and use in the humanitarian context still remain as affordability

and digital literacy which are contributing to vulnerable groups being excluded from more

advanced mobile-enabled products and services as well having the opportunity to connect with

their loved ones. (GSMA Head Office, 2015). Low levels of digital literacy in particular hinder

16

the use of mobile money among refugees. This remains particularly challenging for different

demographics such as women and elderly population majority of who remain illiterate.

In addition, MNO’s are required by the national financial regulators to adhere to proportional,

risk-based, Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements when registering customers for their

mobile money services. These registration processes most often rely on National ID cards and

other official documentation issued by respective national government. Refugees and

vulnerable groups often relocate to countries without any form of legal identification as these

can be forgotten, lost, destroyed or stolen during their journey which remains a barrier to the

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. (Kipkemboi, 2019)

2.3.3 Access to Mobile Money

Mobile money is a digital medium of exchange and store of value using mobile money

accounts, facilitated by a network of mobile money agents. It is a financial service offered to

its clients by a mobile network operator or another entity that partners with mobile network

operators, independent of the traditional banking network. A bank account is not required to

use mobile money services—the only pre-requisite is a basic mobile phone. (International

Monetary Fund, 2018)

Mobile money has become a general medium transforming entire economies, as implemented

through finance, health care, agriculture, and other sectors. To date, at least 110 mobile money

systems, with over 40 million users, have been deployed. M-PESA, the most well-known

system, originated in Kenya and is now operational in six countries; it has over 24 million

active users who transferred 84 billion in the 3rd quarter of 2019 (GSMA, 2019).

Mobile money services are increasingly being implemented across emerging markets as a

critical tool for furthering the objective of financial inclusion. Financial inclusion is the

creation of new ways of enabling individuals at the base of the pyramid and vulnerable

groups to access formal financial services. This then exposed them to becoming a part of the

formal financial system and is seen as a crucial prerequisite for bringing these communities

17

out of poverty and driving the growth of the economy (UNCDF, 2019).

Although mobile phones are key to all of these uses, mobile money is more than just

technology it needs a cash-in, cash-out infrastructure, typically done through a network of

"cash merchants" or "agents", who earn a small commission to convert cash into electronic

value and vice versa. This network of retail agents is essential in the distribution channel given

their large network that extends beyond traditional banking networks. The agents come with

benefits associated with mass market sales and distribution operations (GSMA, 2019)

All of this must take place in an atmosphere with effective government legislation for finance

and digital services. The uptick around mobile money has emerged in part because it is

commonly seen as a successful way of providing millions of people across the globe access to

finance given that roughly 1 billion people have a mobile phone but do not own a bank

account. (Consultative Group for Assisting the Vulnerable, 2016)

Then expanding adoption of mobile money and digital currency in normal conditions is an

element of having a preparedness strategy in place. If populations in host countries do not have

the habit of using mobile payments, launching these networks in an emergency situation will

be a challenge for the beneficiaries with regards to ownership and literacy, for the MNO’s and

Humanitarian Agencies with regards to having access to agent networks in the rural areas

(MasterCard - Center for Inclusive Growth, 2014)

2.4 Effects of policy regulations on acceleration of digital aid

Digital and mobile technology advances have delivered far-reaching economic and social

benefits for countries, companies and citizens. But these benefits are far from evenly

distributed, there has been considerable disruption and the consequences for the disrupted have

not always been positive. Policymakers need to embrace digital advances, and they also need

to recognize the dangers of inaction and prepare for the changes that are coming way in

advance. In developing countries, the difference between the positive and adverse scenarios is

in large part a matter of policy. Governments should focus their attention and efforts on

accelerating technology adoption to capture the economic and social benefits as well as

mitigating the negative economic and social impacts of technological change (Embracing the

18

Digital Revolution Policies for Building the Digital Economy, 2017).

As a result of this there is need for national financial regulators to enable lower, “tiered”

thresholds of KYC requirements in order to allow forcibly displaced populations to access vital

funds, particularly in emergency contexts. MNO’s need to know and understand the

expectations of regulators, including activities that are permitted, required, and prohibited. As

the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), a G20 platform, has stated, “for digital

financial services to flourish, there needs to be a legal and regulatory framework that is

predictable, risk-based, and fair and does not impose excessive, non-risk-based compliance

costs” (Global Partnerships For Financial Inclusion, 2017)

Policy and regulatory frameworks may generally challenge the achievement of the financial

inclusion of vulnerable groups because most do not recognize the special circumstances and

legal status of these groups. With respect to broader policy frameworks, FDPs are rarely

considered as an explicit target group in national policies promoting socioeconomic

development and resilience. Particularly refugees are generally absent from financial inclusion

policies or strategies, where these exist. The rules and regulations pertaining to FDP’s

socioeconomic participation in host communities (including the right to work, freedom of

movement, legal identity, and ability to participate in the financial system) may also have a

bearing on the provision of financial products to and usage by FDPs, this particularly applies

to refugees (Hyndman, 1998).

Humanitarian agencies, such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UNHCR, have

developed and use specific identification methods in crises contexts. FDPs are, for instance,

often extensively interviewed and can be issued registration cards. Such humanitarian

identification methods are, however, largely not accepted for Customer Due Diligence (CDD)

purposes.(UNHCR, 2016)

For countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the policy options depend to a certain extent on whether

countries have high or low levels of ID coverage, though they overlap in certain respects:

Countries with a high-degree of ID coverage should focus on building up the capability of their

ID systems, making them into digital platforms that can support a range of digital activities,

including e-KYC. These countries may also use simplified due diligence, though it may not

19

have as much of an impact on the market (Kipkemboi, 2019)

Regulators should aim to have clear, predictable and effective regulatory frameworks that are

flexible enough to adapt to market developments. Constant dialogue between operators and

regulators should be encouraged to resolve any regulatory areas that require clarification with

immediate action. Innovation should not be viewed as solely market-led, but also as a

regulator-led initiative. These efforts should be in line with the Financial Action Task Force

(FATF) recommendations which state that regulatory frameworks ought to strike the balance

between financial integrity and financial inclusion. This will ensure that KYC requirements

are complementary to the continued responsible growth of mobile money services in emerging

markets, rather than a barrier to that goal(Casswell, 2018)

In addition to the regulatory environment and the available infrastructure, the knowledge, skills

and attitudes of FDPs are also important determinants of the extent to which they can be

financially included. Trust, reliability, positive user experiences and a clear understanding of

rules, rights and recourse are critically important to achieve uptake and usage of even the most

basic financial services, and extend to more complex products and services. If regulated

financial products, services and channels are of poor quality, inconvenient, expensive or

otherwise poorly-designed, FDPs will continue to rely on unregulated financial services. At

customer level, financial capability (the combination of knowledge, understanding, skills and,

most importantly, behavior) of FDPs will have to be improved to become familiar with the

(new) financial landscape and to understand the conditions of financial services (e.g. impact

of interest payments) in order to make informed and sound financial decisions (UNHCR,

2018).

Increased political will in a crisis can motivate regulators to enact emergency policies to

facilitate a rapid response; however, identifying, negotiating, and enacting that policy is by no

means guaranteed and can significantly delay or prohibit the use of mobile wallets. This

identification and negotiation need to happen before the crisis. Emergency regulatory

templates could facilitate preparedness by providing a standard, structured approach to

negotiating, modifying, and enacting time bound regulations that often prohibit the use of

mobile wallets in a crisis such as KYC and agent and merchant regulation. Regulatory

20

templates can present a predetermined set of regulations for regulators to modify and negotiate

beforehand. In a crisis, regulators could quickly propose the pre-negotiated documents, sign

and implement (Valerie Nkamgang Bemo, Dilwonberish Aberra, Jamie M. Zimmerman,

Amanda Lanzarone, 2017)

Policy makers need to provide clear guidelines on what identification is acceptable for refugees

and vulnerable groups to access digital aid. This will improve clarity for refugees, MNOs

(including agents) and humanitarian organizations on the required documentation as well as

harmonize identity-related SIM registration requirements with the lowest tier of KYC

requirements in countries where SIM registration is mandatory. An integrated policy approach

would simplify the end-user journey for refugees and enable them to open a mobile money

account at the point of SIM registration. This requires close collaboration between the

telecommunications regulator or relevant ministry dealing with SIM registration rules and the

financial sector regulator dealing with KYC requirements (UNCDF, 2019)

2.4.1 Data Protection and Privacy Frameworks

Globally the struggle to achieve data protection laws and safeguard consumers has emerged in

the response to the rapid growth in information technology. Vulnerable groups do not have

access to the legal mechanisms of protection and privacy rights in comparison to the citizens

in the host countries. Expansive data collection within the humanitarian context raises concerns

associated with privacy and security and protection that goes beyond vulnerable groups being

mere data subjects.(Kaurin, 2019)

Data protection is part and parcel of the protection offered to vulnerable groups. Refugees in

particular are often in a vulnerable position and their information is highly sensitive face far

greater risks if their data is misused or shared with those who have no right to it. Data protection

has become even more important because of the use of new technologies in delivering digital

aid and the growing number of actors in the humanitarian field, including traditionally non-

humanitarian entities. (Beck, 2018)

In 2015 the UNHCR developed its own Data Protection Policy which is the first data protection

instrument in a UN agency. The policy lays down its rules and principles relating to the

21

processing and handling of sensitive information of persons of concern within UNHCR. The

policy also advocates for agency wrong the vulnerable groups by educating them on the

importance of taking ownership of their own personal data (UNHCR, 2020).

Data protection and privacy frameworks encourage the uptake of digital identity and adoption

of identity-linked mobile services. Governments have a responsibility to foster a trusted

environment where consumer privacy is respected and expectations of privacy are met. This

could strengthen trust in using mobile services in the humanitarian context(Journal of Data

Protection and Privacy, 2019).

2.5 Chapter Summary

The chapter is a literature review of existing research literature. It centers on the effects of a

multi layered ecosystem, the role of MNO’s and the effects of policies specific to acceleration

of digital humanitarian aid. The next chapter is based on research methodology. It presents the

research design, population and sampling design, data collection methods, research procedures

and data analysis methods used in the study

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CHAPTER THREE

3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter presents the research methodology that was used to carry out the study. It

discusses the research design, the population of the study, sample and sampling techniques,

data collection methods as well as data analysis and data presentation methods to be used.

3.2 Research Design

The function of a research design is to ensure the evidence collected allows one to answer

research questions as unambiguously as possible (Vaus, 2001). The research design for this

study was a descriptive study. Descriptive study is concerned primarily with addressing the

particular characteristics of a specific population of subjects, either at a specific fixed point in

time or varying times for comparative purposes (Gill John & Johnson Phil, 2002). In addition,

descriptive research tries to measure the types of activities undertaken, how often, when, where

and by whom. It is also is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the

phenomena and to describe "what exists" with respect to variables or conditions in a situation

(Anastas, 2016)

3.3 Population and Sampling Design

3.3.1 Population

A population is the total collection of elements about which one wishes to make inferences

(Cooper R. Donald & Schindler S. Pamela, 2006). The accessible population must be

representative of the target population and should be comparable on many characteristics

which are important to the study. This study focused on Mercy Corps as one of the

humanitarian agencies delivering digital aid in partnership with Airtel as the MNO. Mercy

Corps is delivering digital aid via Airtel money to 15,000 people in Bidi Bidi constituting men,

women and PWD’s (Mercy Corps, 2019).

23

3.3.2 Sampling Design

Sampling is selecting some of the elements in a population from which a researcher may draw

conclusions about the whole population. Sampling design is a working design or structure,

which specifies the population frame, sample size and sample selection and how the sample

size is estimated (Cooper R. Donald & Schindler S. Pamela, 2006).

The unit of focus or the population of which a sample is drawn out from is the 15,000 refugees

in Bidi Bidi camp Uganda who are working with Mercy Corps.

3.3.3 Sampling Frame

A sampling frame is a list or other device used to define a researcher's population of interest.

The sampling frame defines a set of elements from which a researcher can select a sample of

the target population. Sampling involves identifying samples from which to deduce about the

population (Steven, 2012). The sampling frame constituted of the men, women and PWD’s

that are working with Mercy Corps and Mercy Corps as the Humanitarian Agency present in

Bidi Bidi Uganda.

3.3.4 Sampling Technique

The study focused on a small section of beneficiaries specific to those Mercy Corps is

disbursing aid to in the settlement. In addition to this, focusing on a sample selection allowed

for greater accuracy of results, greater speeds of data collection, lower cost of research and

availability of the population elements. This in turn has influenced the decision to use stratified

sampling method.

A stratified sampling method entails segregating the population into several mutually exclusive

sub-populations or strata. To get a stratified random sample, the sample is constrained to

include elements from each of the segments. Using a stratified random sample enabled the

researcher to increase the sample’s statistical efficiency (Steven, 2012) .The sampling

technique to be employed is stratified random sampling. This is because the respondents were

stratified into three groups – women, men and persons with disabilities.

3.3.5 Sample Size

To determine the specific sample size, the study considered the cost of sampling, practicality

in terms of ease of data collection, how much was already known in this case, prior information

24

which could reduce the sample size further and how precise the researcher wanted like the final

estimates to be. For purposes descriptive studies at least 10% - 20% of the total population is

enough. The total number of beneficiaries was 15,000 and the researcher used the Yamane

formula for determining the sample size is given by:

Where, n= corrected sample size N = population size, and e = Margin of error (MoE), e = 0.05

based on the research condition.

n=15000/ (1+ 15,000(0.05)2)

n= 390

3.4 Data Collection

Data was collected using questionnaires. These were developed by the investigator on the basis

of the research objectives. The questionnaires were structured with close ended questions. The

questionnaire comprised of simple and easy questions for the respondents to answer.

Limitations present included language barrier given Bidi Bidi was home to vulnerable groups

from South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.

3.5 Research Procedure

The questionnaire designed by the researcher based on the research objectives was pre-tested

to ascertain the suitability of the tool before the actual administration. Purposes for conducting

pilot testing is to detect weakness in design and instrumentation and to provide proxy data for

selection of a probability sample (Cooper R. Donald & Schindler S. Pamela, 2006). Pre-testing

was done by administering the questionnaire to 15 respondents who were selected randomly

from the sample size. This enabled the researcher fine tune the questionnaire for simplicity,

objectivity and efficiency in the process. The enumerators were trained on the research tools

so as to minimize data collection errors and they were retained for the whole period of the data

collection. Reliability of the questionnaire was determined on the basis of the ones that had

25

been piloted. The study adopted Cronbach Alpha coefficient to determine the degree of

reliability of the data. The findings of the reliability as determined by the Cronbach Alpha

Coefficients are shown in Table 3.1. Based on the findings in Table 3.1, all the variables had

Cronbach Alpha coefficient values above 0.7, which means that the research questionnaire was

reliable.

Table 3.1: Reliability Results

Variable Cronbach Alpha Coefficient Number of Items

Multi Layered Humanitarian

Ecosystem

.764 5

Mobile Network Operators .862 5

Policy regulators .947 4

3.6 Data Analysis Methods

The data analysis is expected to describe and summarize the data, identify relationships

between variables, compare variables, identify the difference between variables and forecast

outcomes. Once the data had been collected, it was transcribed and organized in an appropriate

format that permitted statistical analysis. This was then continued by systematically analyzing

the transcripts, grouping together comments on similar themes and attempting to interpret

them, and draw conclusions (Williams & Babbie, 2004). The researcher intended to perform

data analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The quantitative data was

summarized using descriptive statistics like means and standard deviations.

The analysis was done using regression analysis with the following model being adopted:

Y=β0+ β1X1 + β1X1+ β1X1+e

Where = Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

β0 is the constant

β1…n are beta coefficients

X1 is Multilayered Digital Supply Chain

X2 is Mobile Network Operator

X3 is the Policy Regulations

26

e is the error term

The results were presented using tables and figures.

3.7 Chapter Summary

This chapter presents the research methodology that was used for this study. The chapter

covers research design, population and sampling design, data collection methods, research

procedures and data analysis methods. The findings of the analysis are indicated in the next

chapter as guided by the specific objectives of the study.

27

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS AND FINDINGS

4.1 Introduction

The chapter details the results and findings from the analysis of data collected in the field. The

analysis was conducted using SPSS tool version 24. The results are presented in form of tables

and figures. The analysis began by determination of the response and the general information

on the respondents. Thereafter, descriptive statistics on the research questions were presented

followed by the inferential statistics covering regression analysis.

4.2 Response Rate

Three hundred and ninety questionnaires were administered out of which 255 were dully filed

and returned. This was equal to a response rate of 65.4% (Figure 4.1). Contrary to the expected

response rate of above 70%, the study obtained a relatively lower rate. This relatively low

response rate could be attributed to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 that resulted in the

closure of borders and businesses.

Figure 4.1: Response Rate

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Response Non Response

65.4%

34.6%

28

4.3 General Information

The general information of the respondents was sought including the gender categories, age,

marital status, levels of education and their categories as indicated in subsequent sections.

4.3.1 Gender Distribution of Respondents

The study sought to collect the general information on the gender of the respondents with the

results indicated in Table 4.1. From the results, while 69.0% of the respondents were male,

31% were female. Thus, both male and female respondents were involved in the study.

Table 4.1: Gender Distribution of Respondents

Frequency Percent

Male 176 69.0

Female 79 31.0

Total 255 100.0

4.3.2 Age of the Respondents

The study sought to establish the age of the respondents with the findings summarized in Table

4.2. From the findings, it was shown that 33.7% of the respondents were 41-50 years, 29.0%

were 31-40 years, 17.3% were below 3 years, 11.4% were 51-60 years and 8.6% were over 61

years. This means that respondents that took part in the study were of different age categories

which mean that there was diversity in age.

Table 4.2: Age of the Respondents

Frequency Percent

Below 30 44 17.3

31-40 74 29.0

41-50 86 33.7

51- 60 29 11.4

above 61 22 8.6

Total 255 100.0

4.3.3 Marital Status of Respondents

The findings on marital status of the respondents were sought and established as summarized

in Table 4.3. The results show that when 54.5% of the respondents were married, 25.5% were

single and 20.0% were divorced.

29

Table 4.3: Marital Status of Respondents

Frequency Percent

Single 65 25.5

Married 139 54.5

Divorced 51 20.0

Total 255 100.0

4.3.4 Level of Education

The findings on level of education in Table 4.4 show that 45.1% of the respondents had

secondary education, 39.2% had technical training, 11.8% had degrees and 3.9% had primary

education. This means that the respondents of the study had varying degree of education which

could be interpreted to mean that they were able to read and understand the research questions

as sought by the study.

Table 4.4: Level of Education

Frequency Percent

Primary School 10 3.9

Secondary School 115 45.1

Technical training 100 39.2

University 30 11.8

Total 255 100.0

4.4 Descriptive Statistics

The section is set out to present the descriptive statistics on the objectives that informed the

study. The specific descriptive statistics that were covered by the study include the means and

standard deviations.

4.4.2 Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian

Aid

The study sought to determine the effect of multi layered digital supply chain and acceleration

of digital humanitarian aid. Multi-layered digital supply chain had several statements that were

rated on a five-point Likert scale. From the results, the overall score was 3.70, which means

30

that multi layered digital supply chain is operational in Bidi Bidi Uganda. The results indicated

that most of the respondents agreed (M=3.89, SD=0.958) that humanitarian agencies often

lacked the awareness and resources to realize the cross-sectorial benefits made possible by the

structured availability of MNO data. Respondents agreed that humanitarian aid going directly

from the donor to recipient would increase efficiency (M=3.86, SD=.779) and that standard

reporting templates required by Donors would increase efficiency in reporting and

accountability of funding (M=3.76, SD=.927). Respondents further agreed that

decentralization of due diligence processes to local humanitarian partners would speed up local

responses (M=3.75, SD=0.695) and that other forms of reporting should be considered where

necessary (joint review meetings, field trips (M=3.75, SD=1.025). Respondents also agreed

that availability of un-earmarked funding from donors would allow humanitarian agencies to

respond immediately during the first hours of crises (M=3.67, SD=0.912). It was shown that

digital humanitarian aid via cash transfers was the fastest way to get vulnerable groups back

on their feet when crises strike (M=3.65, SD=0.974) and that policy makers needed to provide

clear guidelines on what identification is acceptable for refugees and vulnerable groups to

access digital aid (M=3.62, SD=1.086). The study noted that Mercy Corps supply chain had

multiple stakeholders involved in aid disbursement (M=3.64. SD=0.977). However,

respondents moderately agreed that predictable multiyear funding from Donors would foster

budgetary planning by humanitarian agencies to prevent shortfalls (M=3.45, SD=1.022).

Table 4.5: Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian

Aid

Mean Std. Dev

The Mercy Corps supply chain has multiple stakeholders involved in aid

disbursement 3.64 .977

Humanitarian aid going directly from the donor to recipient will increase

efficiency 3.86 .779

Predictable multiyear funding from Donors will foster budgetary planning

by humanitarian agencies to prevent shortfalls 3.45 1.022

Standard reporting templates required by Donors will increase efficiency

in reporting and accountability of funding 3.76 .927

31

Availability of un earmarked funding from donors will allow humanitarian

agencies to respond immediately during the first hours of crises 3.67 .912

Decentralization of due diligence processes to local humanitarian partners

will speed up local responses 3.75 .695

Other forms of reporting should be considered where necessary (joint

review meetings, field trips etc.) 3.75 1.025

Policy makers need to provide clear guidelines on what identification is

acceptable for refugees and vulnerable groups to access digital aid 3.62 1.086

Humanitarian agencies often lack the awareness and resources to realize

the cross-sectorial benefits made possible by the structured availability of

MNO data

3.89 .958

Digital humanitarian aid via cash transfers is the fastest way to get

vulnerable groups back on their feet when crises strike 3.65 .974

Overall Score 3.70 .936

4.4.3 Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

The study sought to establish the effects of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on the

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. As indicated in Table 4.6, the overall mean was 3.51,

which means that respondents slightly agreed on the role of mobile network operators in

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. More specifically, respondents agreed that mobile

money infrastructure development could create network improvements that benefit all refugee

and host populations leading to increase in ARPU (M=3.88, SD= .767) and that

affordability and lack of digital literacy were the top two barriers to adoption of digital aid for

the beneficiaries (M=3.68, SD=.751). Respondents agreed that lower tiered thresholds of

“KYC” requirements should be considered for FDP’s to access vital funds in emergency

contexts (M=3.74,SD=.988).Respondents further agreed that infrastructure and systems

needed to be set up in advance which could take several months to build which is costly and is

a strain on time-sensitive humanitarian contexts (M=3.65, SD=1.089).

On the other hand, some other respondents agreed that humanitarian agencies and MNO’s

should worked on providing subsidized phones to vulnerable groups towards the uptake of

mobile money (M=3.43, SD=.985), where existing infrastructure was in place, both the MNO

32

and the humanitarian agencies should partner to upgrade existing infrastructure and equipment

(M=3.43, SD=.919) and that MNO’s and Humanitarian Agencies should foster digital literacy

campaigns to educate vulnerable groups on the benefits of using mobile money (M=3.25,

SD=1.124). Some of the respondents were not sure on whether MNO’s had a limited awareness

of the humanitarian sector operations and the benefits of these partnerships as additional

revenue streams (M=3.05, SD=1.162)

Table 4.6: Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

Mean Std. Dev

MNO’s have a limited awareness of the humanitarian sector operations

and the benefits of these partnerships as additional revenue streams 3.05 1.162

Humanitarian agencies and MNO’s should work on providing subsidized

phones to vulnerable groups towards the uptake of mobile money 3.43 .985

MNO’s and Humanitarian Agencies should foster digital literacy

campaigns to educate vulnerable groups on the benefits of using mobile

money

3.25 1.124

Where existing infrastructure is in place both the MNO and the

humanitarian agencies should partner to upgrade existing infrastructure

and equipment

3.43 .919

Infrastructure and systems need to be set up in advance which can take

several months to build which is costly and is a strain on time-sensitive

humanitarian contexts

3.65 1.089

Affordability and lack of digital literacy are the top 2 barriers to adoption

of digital aid for the beneficiaries 3.68 .751

Lower tiered thresholds of “KYC” requirements should be considered for

FDP’s to access vital funds in emergency contexts 3.74 .988

Mobile money infrastructure development can create network

improvements that benefit all refugee and host populations leading to an

increase in ARPU

3.88 .767

Overall Score 3.51 .973

33

4.4.4 Policy Regulations and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

The study sought to determine the effects of Policy Regulations on the Acceleration of Digital

Humanitarian Aid. The findings in Table 4.7 indicate the overall mean as 3.68, this means that

respondents agreed on policy regulations. Respondents agreed that the governments should

develop consistent data protection and privacy frameworks to encourage uptake of digital

identity and adoption of identity-linked mobile services (M=3.86, SD=1.152) and that given

the onset of the 5th industrial revolution, policy regulators needed to embrace and adopt

technology and digital aid (M=3.72, SD=.896). Respondents further agreed that lower tiered

thresholds of “KYC” requirements should be considered for FDP’s to access vital funds in

emergency contexts (M=3.70, SD=1.050) and that regulatory templates could present a

predetermined set of regulations for regulators to modify and negotiate beforehand in

emergency situations (M=3.53, SD=.830).

Table 4.7: Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

Mean Std. Dev

Given the onset of the 5th industrial revolution, policy regulators need

to embrace and adopt technology and digital aid 3.72 .896

Lower tiered thresholds of “KYC” requirements should be considered

for FDP’s to access vital funds in emergency contexts 3.70 1.050

Regulatory templates can present a predetermined set of regulations

for regulators to modify and negotiate beforehand in emergency

situations

3.53 .830

Governments should develop consistent data protection and privacy

frameworks to encourage uptake of digital identity and adoption of

identity-linked mobile services

3.76 1.152

Overall Mean Score 3.68 .982

4.5 Regression Results

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the digital humanitarian ecosystem

on the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. To achieve this, regression analysis was

conducted where the digital humanitarian ecosystem was regressed against acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid. The results are as presented in subsequent sections.

34

4.5.1 Model Summary

The findings in Table 4.8, the value of R is taken as 0.795, which means that the digital

humanitarian ecosystem had a strong relationship with acceleration of digital humanitarian aid.

The coefficient determination R square is 0.631; this infers that 63.1% variability in

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid is explained by variation in the digital humanitarian

ecosystem at Bidi Bidi Uganda. Thus, aside from the digital humanitarian ecosystem, there are

other factors having an influence on the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid at Bidi Bidi

Uganda.

Table 4.8: Model Summary

Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate

1 .795a .631 .627 1.56387

a. Predictors: (Constant), Policy Regulations, Mobile Network Operator, Multilayered Digital Supply Chain

4.5.2 Analysis of Variance

The study conducted ANOVA to test for the overall significance of the model. From the results,

the value of F calculated was given as 143.263. The p-value from the ANOVA is given as

0.000 which is less than 0.05. The results show that the digital humanitarian ecosystem has

significant effect on acceleration of digital humanitarian aid at Bidi Bidi Uganda.

Table 4.9: Analysis of Variance

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Regression 1051.128 3 350.376 143.263 .000b

Residual 613.868 251 2.446

Total 1664.996 254

a. Dependent Variable: Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

b. Predictors: (Constant), Policy Regulations, Mobile Network Operator, Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain

35

4.5.3 Regression Beta Coefficients

The beta coefficients of regression model were determined and presented as shown in Table

4.10. From the results, it is shown that when all the variables are held constant, the acceleration

of digital humanitarian aid in Bidi Bidi Uganda would be at 4.621. A unit change in

multilayered digital supply chain other factors kept constant would lead to 0.535 unit increase

in acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. A unit change in mobile network operator when all

other factors are held constant would bring about 0.196 unit increase in acceleration of digital

humanitarian aid in Bidi Bidi Uganda. A unit change in policy regulations when holding other

factors constant would lead to 0.265 unit increase in acceleration of digital humanitarian aid in

Bidi Bidi Uganda. Therefore, the multilayered digital supply chain had the largest effect on

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid followed by policy regulation and lastly mobile

network operator. At 5%, it was shown that all the variables were significant (p<0.05).

Table 4.10: Regression Beta Coefficients

Unstandardized

Coefficients

Standardized

Coefficients

t Sig. B Std. Error Beta

(Constant) 4.621 .862 5.360 .000

Multilayered Digital

Supply Chain .535 .032 .672 16.819 .000

Mobile Network

Operator .196 .029 .268 6.752 .000

Policy Regulations .265 .050 .220 5.337 .000

a. Dependent Variable: Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

4.6 Chapter Summary

This chapter presented the results and findings of the analysis. Descriptive statistics covering

means and standard deviations are used to summarize the findings. The analysis was done

using regression analysis as part of the inferential statistics. The next chapter summarizes the

findings with discussions, conclusion and recommendations.

36

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

This chapter provides a summary, discussion, recommendation and conclusion of the study

based on the results and findings. The chapter begins with the summary, followed by

discussion, conclusion and finally recommendations.

5.2 Summary

The study sought to establish the effects of the digital humanitarian ecosystem on acceleration

of digital humanitarian aid. The specific objectives of the study were as follows: to explore

the effects of the multi layered digital supply chain on acceleration of digital humanitarian aid,

to highlight the effects of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on the acceleration of digital

humanitarian aid and to find out the influence of policy regulations on the acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid. Descriptive study was adopted targeting 15,000 refugees in Bidi Bidi

camp Uganda who are working with Mercy Corps. The sampling frame constituted the men,

women and PWD’s that are working with Mercy Corps and Mercy Corps as the Humanitarian

Agency present in Bidi Bidi. The sample size of three hundred and ninety respondents was

determined scientifically using Yamane formula. Selection of the respondents in the sample

was done using stratified sampling method. Primary data was collected with help of the

questionnaire. Prior to data collection, the questionnaire was pilot tested among 10 respondents

who were not included in the final sample. Piloting was meant to establish the reliability of the

tools. The collected data was summarized using means and standard deviations and analyzed

using regression analysis. The findings were presented in form of tables and figures.

The first objective of the study on the Multi layered Digital Supply Chain revealed a

significance on the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. From the findings, the overall score

was 3.70, which means that the components in the multi layered digital supply chain were key

stakeholders in Bidi Bidi Uganda. All components examined under the multi layered digital

supply chain included donors, humanitarian agencies and the beneficiaries were all significant.

37

The results indicated that most of the respondents agreed (M=3.89, SD=0.958) that

humanitarian agencies often lacked the awareness and resources to realize the cross-sectorial

benefits made possible by the structured availability of MNO user data. Respondents agreed

that humanitarian aid going directly from the donor to recipient would increase efficiency

(M=3.86, SD=.779) and that standard reporting templates required by donors would increase

efficiency in reporting and accountability of funding (M=3.76, SD=.927).

Respondents further agreed that the decentralization of due diligence processes to local

humanitarian partners would speed up local responses (M=3.75, SD=0.695) and that other

forms of reporting should be considered where necessary (joint review meetings, field trips

(M=3.75, SD=1.025). Respondents also agreed that availability of un-earmarked funding from

donors would allow humanitarian agencies to respond immediately during the first hours of

crises (M=3.67, SD=0.912). It was shown that digital humanitarian aid via cash transfers was

the fastest way to get vulnerable groups back on their feet when crises strike (M=3.65,

SD=0.974) and that policy makers needed to provide clear guidelines on what identification is

acceptable for refugees and vulnerable groups to access digital aid (M=3.62, SD=1.086). The

study noted that Mercy Corps supply chain had multiple stakeholders involved in aid

disbursement (M=3.64. SD=0.977). Regression results showed that a unit change in

multilayered digital supply chain other factors kept constant would lead to 0.535 unit increase

in acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. Furthermore, the p-value was less than 0.05, which

meant that multilayered digital supply chain was significant.

The second objective of the study on the effects of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on the

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid revealed a significance on the acceleration of digital

humanitarian aid. The overall mean was 3.51, which means the Mobile Network Operators are

significant in the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. Areas examined under the role of

Mobile Network Operators including infrastructure, mobile phone penetration and access to

mobile money were all significant

Respondents agreed that mobile money infrastructure development could create network

improvements that benefit all refugee and host populations leading to an increase in ARPU

(M=3.67) and that affordability and lack of digital literacy were the top 2 barriers to adoption

38

of digital aid for the beneficiaries (M=3.65). Respondents agreed that lower tiered thresholds

of “KYC” requirements should be considered for FDP’s to access vital funds in emergency

contexts (M=3.63). Respondents further agreed that infrastructure and systems needed to be

set up in advance which could take several months to build which is costly and is a strain on

time-sensitive humanitarian contexts (M= 3.53). On the other hand, some of the respondents

were not sure on whether MNO’s had a limited awareness of the humanitarian sector

operations and the benefits of these partnerships (M=3.05). Regression results indicated that

a unit change in mobile network operator when all other factors are held constant would bring

about 0.196 unit increase in the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid in Bidi Bidi Uganda.

The p-value of mobile network operator was less than 0.05, and thus it was significant.

The findings indicate the overall mean as 3.68, this means that respondents agreed on policy

regulations. Respondents agreed that the governments should develop consistent data

protection and privacy frameworks to encourage uptake of digital identity and adoption of

identity-linked mobile services (M=3.86) and that given the onset of the 5th industrial

revolution, policy regulators needed to embrace and adopt technology and digital aid

(M=3.72). Respondents further agreed that lower tiered thresholds of “KYC” requirements

should be considered for FDP’s to access vital funds in emergency contexts (M=3.70) and that

regulatory templates could present a predetermined set of regulations for regulators to modify

and negotiate beforehand in emergency situations (M=3.53). In view of the regression

results, it was shown that a unit change in policy regulations when holding other factors

constant would lead to 0.265 unit increase in acceleration of digital humanitarian aid at Bidi

Bidi Uganda. The study also indicated that policy regulations had a p-value that was lower

than 0.05, meaning that it was significant.

The third objective of the study on the effects of Policy Regulations revealed a significance on

the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. All areas were examined under policy regulations

which are Policy regulations and Data and Privacy Frameworks are all significant.

From the results, the value of R was 0.795, which means that digital humanitarian ecosystem

had a strong relationship with acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. The coefficient

determination R square is 0.631; this infers that 63.1% variability in acceleration of digital

39

humanitarian aid is explained by variation in digital humanitarian ecosystem at Bidi Bidi

Uganda. The ANOVA findings indicated a p-value of 0.000 which was less than 0.05. This

was interpreted to mean that digital humanitarian ecosystem had significant effect on

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid.

5.3 Discussion

5.3.1 Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian

Aid

The study sought to determine the effects of the multi layered digital supply chain and

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. From the findings, regression results showed that a

unit changes in multilayered digital supply chain other factors kept constant would lead to

0.535 unit increase in acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. Furthermore, the p-value was

less than 0.05, which meant that multilayered digital supply chain was significant. In 2016,

UNHCR and WFP distributed approximately two thirds of aid digitally. Both organizations

are aggressively increasing their digital aid programming while using different disbursement

modalities. In most cases, the WFP uses an in-house system called SCOPE which distributes

approximately 80 per cent of funding via vouchers, while UNHCR registers beneficiaries

through its progress system and delivers cash 99 per cent of the time (cash includes digital

payments). Both systems are designed to stand alone or work with a private sector payments

provider (UNHCR, 2018)

From the results the overall score was 3.70, which means that multi layered digital supply

chain was operational in Bidi Bidi Uganda. This finding is in line with (Puri & Karunakara,

2016)who noted that the digital humanitarian supply chain is just as complex because it

involves multiple stakeholders in a multifaceted ecosystem. These players include donors,

humanitarian agencies and the beneficiaries. Each of these operates with different focuses,

capabilities and agendas. This may be further exacerbated by increased competition for donor

funding, or an unwillingness to share and adopt alternative approaches towards assistance.

Together, this leads to siloed efforts, making harmonization and standardization within the

digital ecosystem difficult. There is therefore the need for concerted efforts amongst all

stakeholders to ensure the over aching end goal which is assistance to vulnerable groups is met

(Puri & Karunakara, 2016).

40

Respondents agreed that humanitarian aid going directly from the donor to recipient would

increase efficiency (M=3.86). The typical delivery of humanitarian aid does not go directly

from donor to recipient as it passes through multiple institutional agencies from the donor to

the local NGO in the recipient country to the local partners and eventually reaching the

recipients (Oloruntoba Richard & Gray Richard, 2006b)

It was shown that humanitarian agencies often lacked the awareness and resources to realize

the cross sectoral benefits made possible by the structured availability of MNO data (M=3.76).

The result is empirically supported by the World Economic Forum (2019) that humanitarian

agencies often lack the awareness and resources to realize the cross-sectoral benefits made

possible by the structured availability of MNO data. They don’t know the best way to frame

data requests, pay for availability or utilize analytical approaches to make the most out of what

is available. This reduces the likelihood of usage, hinders coordination across ministries or

organizations in submitting data requests, makes payment burdensome, and limits their own

internal capacity building (World Economic Forum, 2019).

Respondents agreed that humanitarian aid going directly from the donor to recipient would

increase efficiency (M=3.86, SD=.779) and standard reporting templates required by donors

would increase efficiency in reporting and accountability of funding (M=3.76, SD=.927). For

many humanitarian organizations, time spent on customizing donor reports specific to formats,

expenditure, indicator log frames etc. is usually y disproportionate given some donors do not

accept standard reporting templates. Heavy reporting requirements especially during an

emergency situation generate unnecessary transaction costs and use of human resources that

can be more valuable in the implementation process.(Interagency Standing Committee (IASC),

2016). Humanitarian aid going directly from donor to recipient increases efficiency and

advocates for a fast response in restoring the dignity and livelihoods of vulnerable groups in

emergency situations. (GSMA, 2017c) Respondents also agrees other forms of reporting

should be considered where necessary (joint review meetings, field trips (M=3.75, SD=1.025).

Respondents further agreed that decentralization of due diligence processes to local

humanitarian partners would speed up local responses (M=3.75, SD=0.695). Multifaceted due

diligence processed conducted at the head quarter level significantly affect and delay roll out

41

of humanitarian operations in emergency contexts and exclude important partners due to the

amount of time and resources needed to complete the due diligence process. Decentralizing

some of these process to a local level will empower humanitarian agencies to focus on

programmatic goals as opposed to financial accountability. For countries in Sub-Saharan

Africa, the policy options depend to a certain extent on whether countries have high or low

levels of ID coverage, though they overlap in certain respects: Countries with a high-degree of

ID coverage should focus on building up the capability of their ID systems, making them into

digital platforms that can support a range of digital activities, including e-KYC.(Interagency

Standing Committee (IASC), 2016)

Respondents also agreed that availability of un-earmarked funding from donors would allow

humanitarian agencies to respond immediately during the first hours of crises (M=3.67,

SD=0.912). Un ear marked funding permits humanitarian agencies to use their discretion and

internally allocate funding to emergency lifesaving situations that require minimal donor

intervention and rapid response. Donor trends over the past years have shown a decrease in un

ear marked funding and a preference of ear marked funding.(OECD Development Co-

operation Directorate, 2014)

5.3.2 Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

The study sought to establish the effects of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on the

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. Regression results indicated that a unit change in

mobile network operator when all other factors are held constant would bring about 0.196 unit

increase in acceleration of digital humanitarian aid at Bidi Bidi Uganda. The p-value of

MNO’s was less than 0.05, and thus it was significant. The findings are supported by Casswell

(2018) who argued that there is growing recognition among donors and humanitarian

organizations that mobile technology and mobile network operators (MNOs) have an important

role to play in delivering dignified digital aid, while also providing a path to self-sufficiency

for people affected by crisis, especially those facing protracted humanitarian crises. Mobile

technology can improve access to mobile money, utility services and identity services.

(Casswell, 2018).

The overall mean was 3.51, which indicates that respondents agreed on the significance of the

42

MNOs as part of the digital humanitarian ecosystem. The Mobile for Development GSMA (

2019) shared that mobile money entirely digitizes the distribution process, removing the need

to manage heavy logistics and greatly reduces the time required for field activities. These

efficiencies enable humanitarian agencies reach more vulnerable groups of people with the

limited aid budgets available and to track these resources much more closely for improved

auditability and risk management. Not only are mobile money accounts an effective tool for

supporting affected people to meet their basic needs through digital aid, they can also improve

access to financial services needed to support jobs, and longer-term income-earning

opportunities. In addition, a well-designed mobile money service will have many competitive

advantages when compared to a bank-based system that make it the preferred system in

appropriate contexts. MNOs generally have a lower cost basis per customer, more mass-market

retail experience and large sales and distribution systems. Furthermore, they are more likely to

have many more customers registered for voice and data services, if not mobile money directly

(Mobile for Development GSMA, 2019).

More specifically, respondents agreed that mobile money infrastructure development could

create network improvements that benefit all refugee and host populations leading to increase

in ARPU (M=3.67). Mobile money infrastructure development also brings along network

improvements that benefit all refugee and host populations, for example, players like Mercy

Corps in Uganda advocated for good network coverage to facilitate mobile money transfers,

but this also supported the entire refugee population to utilize the improved network coverage

to communicate with their relatives and friends though voice and data. Airtime purchases also

became possible using the developing mobile money agent network (Mercy Corps, 2019) .

It was noted that affordability and lack of digital literacy were the top 2 barriers to adoption of

digital aid for the beneficiaries (M=3.65). This is consistent with World Economic Forum

(2019) which argue that mobile access and use are part of the foundation of a developing digital

ecosystem as they enable MNO’s to offer advanced services. Barriers to mobile ownership

such as affordability and digital literacy need to be tackled to ensure vulnerable groups are not

excluded and can benefit from more advanced mobile-enabled products and services as well

having charging options and upgrading mobile coverage. This will then contribute to

accelerating mobile internet adoption among vulnerable groups along with adoption of digital

43

aid (World Economic Forum, 2019)

An unpredictable regulatory environment and strict data protection regimes can increase risks

for an MNO wanting to provide data to the social-impact sector. Humanitarian agencies have

varying levels of requirements, ability and willingness to pay for the end user data for accuracy

in reporting and inclusion. These variables will impact how MNO’s design their TDaaS (telco

data-as-a-service) and related offerings. These opportunities resting on a continuum for the

MNOs can help develop a better understanding of new customer segments (e.g., traditionally

considered low value customers, the underserved) and can lead to a range of ICT offerings for

a new customer base (World Economic Forum, 2019).

Respondents agreed that lower tiered thresholds of “KYC” requirements should be considered

for FDP’s to access vital funds in emergency contexts (M=3.63). Financial service providers

including MNO’s are required by the national financial regulator to adhere to proportional,

risk-based, Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements when registering customers for their

services. These registration processes most often rely on National ID cards and other official

documentation issued by respective national government. Refugees and vulnerable groups

often relocate to countries without any form of legal identification as these can be forgotten,

lost, destroyed or stolen during their journey. This means that when MNO’s onboard new

customers, they must be able to positively identify them and collect sufficient information to

assess the customer’s risk of engaging in illicit finance. MNO’s must also conduct periodic

reverification of existing customers, as their personal information and risk profiles can change

over time (Kipkemboi, 2019) .

Respondents further agreed that infrastructure and systems needed to be set up in advance

which could take several months to build which is costly and is a strain on time-sensitive

humanitarian contexts (M= 3.53). In rural areas where basic connectivity does not exist, the

cost of building and operating mobile infrastructure may be twice the cost compared with urban

areas and the revenues 10 times smaller (Hatt et al., 2013). When it comes to availability of

existing infrastructure, in rural and or remote locations where the humanitarian agency is

present and the disaster has occurred, a comprehensive assessment of the existing set-up is

necessary to ensure the fundamentals for mobile money are in place or can be installed to create

44

an enabling environment for disbursement of digital aid. These include at least 2G mobile

coverage for mobile money services, energy sources to recharge handsets, proximity of

financial infrastructure or a reliable source of cash for rebalancing agents securely. (GSMA

Mobile for Development - Mobile for Development Utilities, 2018)

5.3.3 Policy Regulations and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

The findings indicate the overall mean as 3.68, this means that respondents agreed on the

effects of policy regulations on the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. In view of the

regression results, it was shown that a unit change in policy regulations when holding other

factors constant would lead to 0.265 unit increase in the acceleration of digital humanitarian

aid in Bidi Bidi Uganda. The study also indicated that policy regulations had a p-value that

was lower than 0.05, meaning that it was significant. In line with these findings, the Global

Partnerships For Financial Inclusion (2017) indicated that policy and regulatory frameworks

may generally challenge the achievement of the financial inclusion of vulnerable groups

because most do not recognize the special circumstances and legal status of these groups. With

respect to broader policy frameworks, FDPs are rarely considered as an explicit target group

in national policies promoting socioeconomic development and resilience. Particularly

refugees are generally absent from financial inclusion policies or strategies, where these exist.

The rules and regulations pertaining to FDP’s socioeconomic participation in host communities

(including the right to work, freedom of movement, legal identity, and ability to participate in

the financial system) may also have a bearing on the provision of financial products to and

usage by FDPs, this particularly applies to refugees (Global Partnerships for Financial

Inclusion, 2017).

Respondents agreed that the governments should develop consistent data protection and

privacy frameworks to encourage uptake of digital identity and adoption of identity-linked

mobile services (M=3.86). Consistent with this finding, requirements (UNCDF, 2019) argued

that the governments should develop consistent data protection and privacy frameworks to

encourage uptake of digital identity and adoption of identity-linked mobile services. In

addition, the (Journal of Data Protection and Privacy,2019) advocated for Data protection and

privacy frameworks because these encourage the uptake of digital identity and adoption of

45

identity-linked mobile services. Governments have a responsibility to foster a trusted

environment where consumer privacy is respected and expectations of privacy are met. This

could strengthen trust in using mobile services in the humanitarian context(Journal of Data

Protection and Privacy, 2019).

The study noted that given the onset of the 5th industrial revolution, policy regulators needed

to embrace and adopt technology and digital aid (M=3.72). According to (Agenda for

Humanity, 2016), as the number of people affected by humanitarian crises continues to rise

and as crises become more prolonged, humanitarian stakeholders (including humanitarian

agencies, NGOs, and others) are responding in different ways, by partnering with the private

sector and are integrating innovative approaches and using digital technology to increase

accountability, efficiency, transparency and impact. These deviations, among others, are laying

the foundation for a digital ecosystem within the humanitarian context. Digital technology has

become a vital tool in driving social development and economic growth in Africa.

Respondents further agreed that lower tiered thresholds of “KYC” requirements should be

considered for FDP’s to access vital funds in emergency contexts (M=3.70). Given that there

is a requirement for the ability to prove one’s identity in order to access basic services and this

is also a pre requisite for socioeconomic development. As a result of this, all financial service

providers including MNO’s are required by the national financial regulator to adhere to

proportional, risk-based, Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements when registering

customers for their services. These registration processes most often rely on National ID cards

and other official documentation issued by respective national government. Refugees and

vulnerable groups often relocate to countries without any form of legal identification as these

can be forgotten, lost, destroyed or stolen during their journey. When MNO’s onboard new

customers, they must be able to positively identify them and collect sufficient information to

assess the customer’s risk of engaging in illicit finance. MNO’s must also conduct periodic

reverification of existing customers, as their personal information and risk profiles can change

over time (Kipkemboi, 2019) . As a result of this there is need for national financial regulators

to enable lower, “tiered” thresholds of KYC requirements in order to allow forcibly displaced

populations to access vital funds, particularly in emergency contexts. MNO’s need to know

and understand the expectations of regulators, including activities that are permitted, required,

46

and prohibited.

As the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), a G20 platform, has stated, “for

digital financial services to flourish, there needs to be a legal and regulatory framework that is

predictable, risk-based, and fair and does not impose excessive, non-risk-based compliance

costs” (Global Partnerships For Financial Inclusion, 2017). In addition, in the absence of

national identification documents, humanitarian agencies should adopt other forms of

identification such as biometric identification for greater inclusion

It was noted that regulatory templates could present a predetermined set of regulations for

regulators to modify and negotiate beforehand in emergency situations (M=3.53). Regulatory

templates can present a predetermined set of regulations for regulators to modify and negotiate

beforehand. In a crisis, regulators could quickly propose the pre-negotiated documents, sign

and implement ( Bemo, Aberra, Zimmerman & Lanzarone, 2017).

5.4 Conclusion

5.4.1 Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

The study revealed a significant relationship between the multi layered digital supply chain

and acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. The study concludes all components of the multi

layered digital supply chain including donors, humanitarian agencies and beneficiaries

significantly influence acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. The findings of regression beta

coefficients indicated the multilayered digital supply chain had the largest and significant

effect on acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. Donors are an essential part of the

humanitarian supply chain given these are the sources of funding and grants required by the

humanitarian agencies to carry out their operations. The Humanitarian principles of humanity,

neutrality, impartiality and independence provide the foundations for humanitarian action

required by humanitarian agencies and are central to establishing and maintaining access to

affected people, whether in a natural disaster or a multifaceted emergency, such as war and

conflict. Lastly beneficiaries remain at the center of all humanitarian operations. These

components of the multi layered digital supply chain are necessary and are required to work in

tandem. Respondents agreed that humanitarian aid going directly from the donor to recipient

would increase efficiency and response time in emergency contexts. Respondents agreed that

47

donors need to adopt standard reporting templates to allow humanitarian agencies to focus on

programmatic goals as opposed to financial accountability. Respondents also agreed the

availability of un ear marked funding from donors will allow humanitarian agencies to use

their own discretions and be able to respond within the first hours of a crises.

5.4.2 Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

This study sought to determine the role of MNO’s on the acceleration of digital humanitarian

aid. The study concludes all components examined under MNO’s including infrastructure,

mobile phone penetrations and access to mobile money are all significant in acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid. The availability of existing mobile and digital infrastructure is a

requirement in order to facilitate digital aid. To ensure sufficient connectivity, infrastructure

and systems need to be set up in advance which can take several months to build which is

costly and can be a strain on time-sensitive humanitarian contexts. In the absence of existing

infrastructure MNO’s and humanitarian agencies should form partnerships geared towards

upgrading and setting up infrastructure systems.

In view of the results of the regression beta coefficients, the effects of MNO’s were found to

have the least but significant effect on acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. Respondents

agreed that mobile money infrastructure development could create network improvements that

benefit all refugee and host populations leading to increase in ARPU for the MNO’s. It was

shown that affordability and lack of digital literacy were the top 2 barriers to adoption of digital

aid for the beneficiaries. Respondents agreed on the need for digital literacy educational

campaigns in order to accelerate uptake of mobile money service.

5.4.3 Policy Regulations and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

The study sought to determine the effects of policy regulations on the acceleration of digital

humanitarian aid. All components including policy and data and privacy frameworks were

found to be significant. The results of regression beta coefficients showed that policy

regulation had the second largest and significant effect on acceleration of digital humanitarian

aid. Respondents agreed on existence of policy regulations. Respondents agreed that the

governments should develop consistent data protection and privacy frameworks to encourage

uptake of digital identity and adoption of identity-linked mobile services and that given the

onset of the 5th industrial revolution, policy regulators needed to embrace and adopt

48

technology and digital aid. Respondents further agreed that lower tiered thresholds of “KYC”

requirements should be considered for vulnerable groups to access vital funds in emergency

contexts. Respondents agreed technical and organizational data security measures should be

put in place to safe guard data collected from vulnerable groups. In addition to this, in the

absence of identification documentation biometric identification should be considered so as to

enable vulnerable groups gain access to aid.

5.5 Recommendations

5.5.1 Recommendations for Improvement

This section provides recommendations for improvement based on the findings of the study.

5.5.1.1 Multi Layered Digital Supply Chain and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian

Aid

Since this study revealed the existence of significant relationship of the multi layered digital

supply chain on acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. The study recommends the

components of the multi layered digital supply chain in Bidi Bidi in this case the donors,

Mercy Corps and beneficiaries in Bidi Bidi camp in Uganda should work in tandem with

regards to sharing of critical information pertaining to digital humanitarian aid. Agendas

should be synchronized in order to scale disbursement if digital aid which will improve the

livelihoods of the vulnerable groups in Bidi Bidi.

5.5.1.2 Mobile Network Operators and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

The study revealed the existence of a significant relationship between MNO’s on the

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid although they had the least but significant effect on

acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. The study recommends that the MNO is operation –

Airtel should work in tandem with the humanitarian agency in this case Mercy Corps and third-

party mobile phone providers in order to increase mobile phone penetration in Bidi Bidi. This

partnership should also include campaigns centered on digital literacy to educate vulnerable

groups on the benefits of using mobile money so as to ramp up the use of mobile money in

Bidi Bidi.

49

In addition to this in the presence of existing infrastructure both Airtel and Mercy Corps should

consider a joint partnership in order to cost share the costs associated with upgrading the

existing infrastructure given the benefits and return on investments both parties will to gain.

5.5.1.3 Policy Regulations and Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid

The study also established an existence between policy regulations and the acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid. The findings indicated that policy regulations had the second largest

and effect on the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. The study recommends the policy

regulators in the government of Uganda and the private sector should develop consistent data

protection and privacy frameworks to encourage uptake of digital identity and adoption of

identity-linked mobile services. Technical and organizational data security measures should be

put in place to safe guard data collected from vulnerable groups as well as educational

campaigns targeting beneficiaries specific to their personal data rights as it pertains to

requesting for it, deleting it and correcting it

and that given the onset of the 5th industrial revolution, policy regulators needed to embrace

and adopt technology including big data analytics. The UNHCR and the World Bank Group

have teamed up to design the Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement where collective data

on vulnerable groups will be collected and distributed to policy regulators and various

humanitarian actors that can use the information to better the lives of these communities.

(UNHCR, 2020)

5.5.2 Recommendation for Further Research

The present study was conducted in Uganda with a focus on Bidi Bidi camp. The focus of the

present study was on the digital humanitarian ecosystem and its effects on the acceleration of

digital humanitarian aid. From the results, digital humanitarian ecosystem was only seen to

explain 63.1% variation in the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid. These variables are not

conclusive in and of themselves and there were other factors with an influence on acceleration

of digital humanitarian aid such as big data analytics. In addition, recommendations for future

research are to scale and ramp up digital humanitarian aid in Kenya specifically Dadaab

refugee camp.

50

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: COVER LETTER

Ms. Ndinda Muthwale

United States International University (USIU)

P.O. BOX 14634 - 00600 Nairobi

8th July, 2020.

Dear Sir/Madam,

RE: RESEARCH QUESTIONAIRE

I am a student currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at United States

International University (USIU). I am currently carrying out a research project on the

Acceleration of Digital Humanitarian Aid, A case of the Digital Ecosystem specifically in Bidi

Bidi Uganda.

I am kindly requesting you to fill out the questionnaire of the aforementioned topic. The

information required and the results are purely for academic purposes and all the research

information is strictly confidential and your identity will not be disclosed at any point.

Your cooperation during the exercise will be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

Ndinda Muthwale

58

APPENDIX 2: RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Participant,

Thank you for taking the time to be a part of this research project. This questionnaire is

designed to delve into the acceleration of digital humanitarian aid with a focus of gaining

insight on the digital humanitarian ecosystem in Bidi Bidi Uganda.

Your openness and honest feedback is critical to the success of the study.

Section A: Demographic Data and General Information

Kindly check the box with the appropriate answer.

A1. Please indicate your gender? Male [] Female []

A2. What age bracket do you fall in? Below 30 [] 31-40 [] 41-50 [] 51- 60[]

A3. What is your marital status? Single [] Married [] [] Divorced

A4. What is your level of education? Primary School [] Secondary School [] Technical

training University []

59

Section B: Role of the Multi Layered Humanitarian Supply Chain on the Acceleration of

Digital Humanitarian Aid

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree

with the following statements about the layers involved in

the humanitarian supply chain specific to aid

disbursement. (Donors, Humanitarian Agencies and

Beneficiaries)

Str

on

gly

Dis

agre

e (1

)

Dis

agre

e (2

)

Neu

tral

(3)

Agre

e (4

)

Str

on

gly

Agre

e (5

)

Code

B1 The Mercy Corps supply chain has

multiple stakeholders involved in aid

disbursement

B2 Humanitarian aid going directly from the

donor to recipient will increase efficiency

B3 Predictable multiyear funding from

Donors will foster budgetary planning by

humanitarian agencies to prevent

shortfalls

B4 Standard reporting templates required by

Donors will increase efficiency in

reporting and accountability of funding

B5 Availability of un earmarked funding

from donors will allow humanitarian

agencies to respond immediately during

the first hours of crises

B6 Decentralization of due diligence

processes to local humanitarian partners

will speed up local responses

60

B7 Other forms of reporting should be

considered where necessary (joint review

meetings, field trips etc.)

B8 Policy makers need to provide clear

guidelines on what identification is

acceptable for refugees and vulnerable

groups to access digital aid

B9 Humanitarian agencies often lack the

awareness and resources to realize the

cross-sectoral benefits made possible by

the structured availability of MNO data

B10 Digital Humanitarian aid via cash

transfers is the fastest way to get

vulnerable groups back on their feet

when crises strike

61

Section C: Role of Mobile Network Operators the acceleration of digital humanitarian

aid

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree

with the following statements about the critical role

MNO’s and mobile phone ownership plays in

disbursement of digital aid

Str

on

gly

Dis

agre

e (1

)

Dis

agre

e (2

)

Neu

tral

(3)

Agre

e (4

)

Str

on

gly

Agre

e (5

)

Code

C1 MNO’s have a limited awareness of the

humanitarian sector operations and the

benefits of these partnerships as additional

revenue streams

C2 Humanitarian agencies and MNO’s should

work on providing subsidized phones to

vulnerable groups towards the uptake of

mobile money

C3 MNO’S and Humanitarian Agencies should

foster digital literacy campaigns to educate

vulnerable groups on the benefits of using

mobile money

C4 Where existing infrastructure is in place

both the MNO and the humanitarian

agencies should partner to upgrade existing

infrastructure and equipment

C5 Infrastructure and systems need to be set up

in advance which can take several months to

build which is costly and is a strain on time-

sensitive humanitarian contexts

62

C6 Affordability and lack of digital literacy are

the top 2 barriers to adoption of digital aid

for the beneficiaries

C7 Lower tiered thresholds of “KYC”

requirements should be considered for

FDP’s to access vital funds in emergency

contexts

C8 Mobile money infrastructure development

can create network improvements that

benefit all refugee and host populations

leading to an increase in ARPU

63

Section D: Role of Policy regulators on acceleration the of digital humanitarian aid

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree

with the following statements about the critical role policy

regulators and data and privacy frameworks play in

disbursement of digital aid

Str

on

gly

Dis

agre

e (1

)

Dis

agre

e (2

)

Neu

tral

(3)

Agre

e (4

)

Str

on

gly

Agre

e (5

)

Code

D1 Given the onset of the 5th industrial

revolution, policy regulators need to

embrace and adopt technology and

digital aid

D2 Vulnerable groups need education on

their rights specific to requesting for it,

deleting it and correcting it

D3 Technical and organizational data

security measures should be put in

place to safe guard data collected from

vulnerable groups

D4 Data collected from vulnerable groups

should be confidential to the

humanitarian agencies and not freely

given out

D5 In the absence of identification cards,

biometric identification should be

available

64

D6 Lower tiered thresholds of “KYC”

policies should be considered for

FDP’s to access vital funds in

emergency contexts

D7 Regulatory templates can present a

predetermined set of regulations for

regulators to modify and negotiate

beforehand in emergency situations

THANK YOU

65

APPENDIX 4: PERMISSION TO COLLECT DATA FROM USIU

66

APPENDIX 3: RESEARCH LICENSE