The Companies that Care podcast highlights business leaders who are making a difference in the world. I have a passion for companies that care and give back to their communities, like Phioneers based in London, UK, and The Gambia. My guest, Ousman Touray, is an ecopreneur with a mission to improve the quality of life in developing parts of the globe through sustainable and eco-friendly architecture, engineering, and technology.
Ousman was born in London to two parents from The Gambia in West Africa. When Ousman was 10, his parents decided to move back home. From age 10 to 17, Ousman spent time with cousins, uncles, and aunties, eating together and sleeping on a big mattress, sharing everything.
Ousman knew he wanted to use his passions engineering, nature, and construction to make a difference in the world. “I always paid attention to the way things were built and how a big nice forest would disappear because someone started a housing estate.”
Inspired by nature geography shows, Ousman decided to do something to help with the solution. As a young person, Ousman was an active member of the Red Cross. When natural disasters would strike, he’d be working with refugees. He’s always done stuff for free, not expecting anything in return.
When he returned to London at age 17, he studied civil engineering and construction and went on to work as a civil engineer and project management. Now he is a portfolio manager, working fully in Africa. “In the developed world we have a lot of things that we take for granted, that mean a lot to other people. ”
Ousman founded Phioneers because he wanted to solve problems like infrastructure, waste, unsustainable materials, construction methods, and damaging the environment. His goal is to improve the quality of life in developing countries by using sustainable and eco-friendly architecture, engineering, and technology. Ousman’s solution is focused on eco-friendliness, caring about the environment, and community building.
Inspired by Dr. Sanduk Ruit, who takes 50 percent of his income from paying clients and then provides free vision services for people who cannot pay, Ousman provides high-quality services for his customers, but he uses some of that income to provide homes for free to those who cannot afford them.
Ousman helps developers in developing African countries choose more sustainable materials for their construction projects, instead of products that need to be imported from elsewhere. He observes that Africans are scrapping the technology that helped them build the pyramids.
He views partnerships as key to his success. “We believe in working together as small businesses instead of having a big team trying to do everything by themselves, reinventing the wheel.”
Many people live together in extended family settings in a very small spaces in Africa. Ousman hopes to provide low-cost eco-friendly homes for sub-Saharan Africans living under the poverty line.
“I envision standing in front of a community of homes built by us, a housing estate that's been designed by us or influenced by our decisions...standing in front of a team of engineers and marketers giving a daily briefing of what needs to be done and traveling around the continent of Africa and beyond, talking to people about how we can help house people…how we can help make a bigger impact.”
The Companies That Care podcast is brought to you by Fertile Ground Communications. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give us a rating and subscribe to hear our next episode.
Contact us if you can use some help with your writing, editing, communications, or marketing. We help organizations and people discover what makes them special and help them share that with the world.
The Companies that Care podcast highlights business leaders who are making a difference in the world. I have a passion for companies that care and give back to their communities, like Phioneers based in London, UK, and The Gambia. My guest, Ousman Touray, is an ecopreneur with a mission to improve the quality of life in developing parts of the globe through sustainable and eco-friendly architecture, engineering, and technology.
Ousman was born in London to two parents from The Gambia in West Africa. When Ousman was 10, his parents decided to move back home. From age 10 to 17, Ousman spent time with cousins, uncles, and aunties, eating together and sleeping on a big mattress, sharing everything.
Ousman knew he wanted to use his passions engineering, nature, and construction to make a difference in the world. “I always paid attention to the way things were built and how a big nice forest would disappear because someone started a housing estate.”
Inspired by nature geography shows, Ousman decided to do something to help with the solution. As a young person, Ousman was an active member of the Red Cross. When natural disasters would strike, he’d be working with refugees. He’s always done stuff for free, not expecting anything in return.
When he returned to London at age 17, he studied civil engineering and construction and went on to work as a civil engineer and project management. Now he is a portfolio manager, working fully in Africa. “In the developed world we have a lot of things that we take for granted, that mean a lot to other people. ”
Ousman founded Phioneers because he wanted to solve problems like infrastructure, waste, unsustainable materials, construction methods, and damaging the environment. His goal is to improve the quality of life in developing countries by using sustainable and eco-friendly architecture, engineering, and technology. Ousman’s solution is focused on eco-friendliness, caring about the environment, and community building.
Inspired by Dr. Sanduk Ruit, who takes 50 percent of his income from paying clients and then provides free vision services for people who cannot pay, Ousman provides high-quality services for his customers, but he uses some of that income to provide homes for free to those who cannot afford them.
Ousman helps developers in developing African countries choose more sustainable materials for their construction projects, instead of products that need to be imported from elsewhere. He observes that Africans are scrapping the technology that helped them build the pyramids.
He views partnerships as key to his success. “We believe in working together as small businesses instead of having a big team trying to do everything by themselves, reinventing the wheel.”
Many people live together in extended family settings in a very small spaces in Africa. Ousman hopes to provide low-cost eco-friendly homes for sub-Saharan Africans living under the poverty line.
“I envision standing in front of a community of homes built by us, a housing estate that's been designed by us or influenced by our decisions...standing in front of a team of engineers and marketers giving a daily briefing of what needs to be done and traveling around the continent of Africa and beyond, talking to people about how we can help house people…how we can help make a bigger impact.”
The Companies That Care podcast is brought to you by Fertile Ground Communications. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give us a rating and subscribe to hear our next episode.
Contact us if you can use some help with your writing, editing, communications, or marketing. We help organizations and people discover what makes them special and help them share that with the world.