Daniela, an entrepreneur.

After my graduation in 2014, I moved to Antananarivo to settle and start a new life, to live on my own and to pursue my goal: becoming a computer engineer. Instead, I was surprised by the high price of fish and seafood in the market whereas fishers’ communities live in poor socioeconomic conditions such as livelihood insecurity and extreme poverty. I quickly understood that there is an obvious and large distance between direct providers and customers; and middlemen had huge influence on price negotiation.  This situation influenced my career path. I created a social enterprise called “VIAVY FISH SHOP” whose mission is to improve the conditions of small-scale fishers in my home village. VIAVY FISH SHOP is an online platform that connects fishermen and buyers and promotes fair trade.

VIAVY FISH SHOP produces fresh fish, frozen fish, dry and salty fish, and seafood (in May).

Daniela on business resilience.

My company struggled a lot last year during the government lockdown. We lost most of our customers which were mainly restaurants and snacks, as they remained closed. There were times when I had demands of less than 100 kg. However, I could not deliver the goods as I had to fill the refrigerated truck with at least 500 kg before they agree to transport the fish from Mahajanga to Antananarivo.

Indeed, me and my teams tried to cope with this pandemic, and search for new strategies. We have now launched new products: frozen fish. We build up enough stock for one month and we partner with other fish shops so that we could fill the refrigerated truck together with our orders, in case there are other government lockdowns in the future.

Daniela on youth entrepreneurship

I teach entrepreneurship. I think young Malagasy people are getting more and more interested in entrepreneurship today. I am convinced that all Malagasy people have the entrepreneurial mindset, but we need to shake them awake.

Daniela on her YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship experience

I was selected for the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders and was placed at the University of Iowa. The fellowship changed the way I do business. The most important lesson would be: rather than seeing other companies that sell the same or similar products as mine as competitors, I consider them as partners and collaborators.

About Daniela

Daniela Loberline Ratiarisoa, social entrepreneur, climate activist, youth inclusion advocate and feminist. She is passionate about building resilient communities and strengthening inclusive economy. She has been involved in improving livelihoods of fishermen’s families in using entrepreneurial skills and social capabilities focusing on women capacity building to reduce poverty, give access to education for girls and promote blue economy as well as circular economy. She has 5 years experiences in Business Management and Entrepreneurship.