‘Shit business is serious business’ – an amazing mobile toilet success story from Lagos, Nigeria

LAGOS -
If you’re an entrepreneur at heart, you’re probably
always looking for the next best business idea. Many
of us believe that a great business idea should be
something totally new and unheard of; something
like the next Facebook, a creative recipe or a
breathtaking product. Well, while there’s nothing
wrong with a bright new idea, many of the best
business ideas in Africa are right under our noses. On
a continent where many basic needs are yet to be
met, entrepreneurs who focus on satisfying these
basic needs are twice more likely to run into a
profitable business idea than those who want
something totally new. That’s exactly what Isaac
Agbetusin did when he decided to provide mobile
toilet facilities to millions of people in Lagos – one of
Africa’s most populated cities. This article looks at
how this passionate man turned a serious but taken-
for-granted need into an amazing and successful
business opportunity...
The big mistake is: nobody wants to talk about
shit!
It’s not surprising that we hardly ever want to discuss the 'shit
business'. Yes, it’s an ugly (and smelly) part of our lives that we
rather not talk about. We pretend it doesn’t exist; in fact, very few
people reading this article ever think of what happens to their
waste once it’s been flushed down the toilet. The hard truth is: shit
exists because we produce it. It’s a natural consequence of the
things we eat and for as long as we exist, shit always will! And like
all the other tons of waste we produce everyday (including
garbage), someone has to get rid of it or else our environments will
be impossible to live in. People are willing to pay to dispose their
waste in a cheap and convenient way; it’s a desperate need that
exists in many parts of our continent. Like we revealed in our
popular article, 3+ Guaranteed ways to find profitable business
ideas in Africa, finding a solution to people's needs is one of the
easiest ways to a lucrative business idea.
Take Lagos for example. The city is home to more than 13 million
people and the centre of intense economic and business activities
in Nigeria. Despite this huge population and all its hustle and
bustle, public toilet facilities are grossly inadequate and often
unusable by people who want to answer nature’s call. As a result,
it’s often a common sight to see people urinating indiscriminately
in open and public spaces while many others, who have more
serious business than urine, head into nearby bushes. With many
people disposing their waste in all sorts of places, Lagos like
several other cities in Africa, faces severe negative effects on
public health due to poor human waste disposal.
‘ Do Not Urinate here ’ is one of the most common and disobeyed
signs in many African cities and towns (photo credit:
flickr.com/Charles Haynes )
Everyday across Africa, millions of people pour into the busy
streets to make a living. When they leave their homes in the
morning, many of them do not return until several hours later.
Most people spend a huge chunk of their time on the move, in
markets and other public spaces. And very often, nearly everyone
has a need to use a toilet but can’t find one; even when they’re
willing to pay to use it!
Enter Dignified Mobile Toilets (DMT)…
Popularly known by his friends as ‘Otunba Gaddafi’, Isaac
Agbetusin trained as a Graphic artist and worked as a security
professional before he decided to get into the ‘shit business’ in
1996. His inspiration came while he was making arrangements for
a friend’s wedding party which would have over 10,000 guests in
attendance. How would these people answer nature’s call during
after all the eating and drinking? After searching for nearly four
weeks, he couldn’t find any company that provides mobile toilet
facilities for parties and public events. That’s when he decided to
start his own mobile toilet company, Dignified Mobile Toilets,
popularly known by its acronym – DMT .
To date, his company has manufactured over 3,000 mobile private
toilets. It produces about 200 units every month for sale and for
hire across Nigeria and in the West Africa region. DMT has also
spread beyond Lagos (where it started) to over 20 cities in Nigeria
and is present in seven countries in West Africa.
Popular for his favourite tagline ‘ Shit Business is Serious
Business ’; Otunba Gaddafi has given a professional face to human
waste disposal. By working with widows and unemployed youths
in several parts of the city, his company gives out these private
toilet units on hire. Because they often do not have the capital to
pay for the units, these widows and youths pay a fixed amount to
the company every month over a two-year period after which they
become full owners of a thriving mobile toilet business!
And how much does it cost any regular person to use these mobile
toilets? For only 20 Naira (about 10 US cents) anyone with an urge
to answer nature’s call can use these toilets rather than pollute the
environment! It’s a cheap and convenient option for anyone who is
caught in the hustle of Lagos busy streets and markets.
The company also rents out mobile toilet units for private parties,
weddings, trade fairs, conventions and all kinds of events. In fact,
DMT also makes special VIP units to serve the rich and upper
class segment of the market. These units are air-conditioned
(imagine that!) and have red carpets, MP3 players and a flat-
screen television for its users! I wonder if anyone who goes into
these VIP toilets ever comes out!
Apart from the money it makes from the sale and rent of its mobile
toilet units, DMT earns significant revenue from sponsored adverts
which it places in all these toilet units. In a bid to consolidate the
successes of this brilliant business, DMT is currently planning to
build a biogas production plant which will convert all the human
waste it collects from across the city into gas that will be used to
generate electricity. Ingenious! If this is achieved, it would be one
of the greatest and few attempts by any African entrepreneur to
produce sustainable energy from human waste.
The company has also been approached by the Bill and Melinda
Gates foundation to work on projects that will provide easy access
to decent toilet facilities which will help to improve personal
hygiene and fight endemic diseases such as polio and malaria. The
short (three-minute) video you’re about to watch is a CNN
interview with ‘Otunba Gaddafi’ sometime in 2010. This passionate
and funny entrepreneur shares his experience in the ‘shit business’
and the huge opportunities that lie within it. It’s quite interesting
and eye opening. Watch and learn…
You need to start thinking differently about
waste...
Unfortunately, Otunba’s dreams for his business were cut short
when he passed away (in March 2012) after a brief illness.
However, his friend and business partner, Caje Oleforo, now runs
the company. The business’s mobile toilet units remain a common
feature in many parts of Lagos including motor parks, bus stops
and several other public places.
This amazing business model proves beyond every doubt that
people will pay for the convenience of using clean and decent toilet
facilities. It also reveals a huge opportunity to provide mobile toilet
facilities to organisers of both public and private events – such as
outdoor parties, conferences, conventions and many others. The
market for both private and public toilet facilities is huge and will
remain so for as long as humans continue to produce biological
waste.
Like Kenya’s Lorna Rutto who is converting plastic waste in
Nairobi into wealth, there are lots of opportunities to build
interesting businesses out of the waste generated in Africa. If
properly conceived, waste has the potential to improve our
economic, health and social well-being.