Micro-finance in West Africa
By CDC Liberia is a country that faces many problems. A shortage of entrepreneurs, however, is not one of them. Take Addy Nyemah, a textile trader in the capital Monrovia, for example, or 34 year-old Henry Wellington. HENRY’S STORY Twelve years ago Henry Wellington started his cement block production business after his grandfather had passed […]
Job Creation Through Manufacturing And Retail
By CDC “Foreign investment is very positive. When CDC and the IFC invest in Bangladesh,that makes us hopeful. It’s an indirect impact that makes us feel good. We can use the expertise of Brummer and Partners and CDC in areas we are lacking.” Mustafizur Rahman Shazid, Director of Sales and Marketing, Butterfly Marketing(Importer and manufacturer […]
Financial Inclusion: Reaching Over 1.2M People In Rural India
By CDC In India approximately 75% of poor people live in rural areas and face limited employment opportunities outside the agricultural sector*. Access to financial services will help people move out of poverty, but the geographical challenges in bringing banking to a large rural population are significant. There are currently 180 million people in India […]
Reliable Travel On India's City Buses
By CDC Transport demand in most Indian cities has increased substantially. This is due to both natural population increases and migration from rural areas and smaller towns.* Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh has a typically poor public transport system that holds back economic development. When CDC visited Ujjain in 2010 one traveller told the team: “The […]
Reliable Travel On India’s City Buses
By CDC Transport demand in most Indian cities has increased substantially. This is due to both natural population increases and migration from rural areas and smaller towns.* Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh has a typically poor public transport system that holds back economic development. When CDC visited Ujjain in 2010 one traveller told the team: “The […]
Low-cost Pharmaceuticals In Bangladesh
“We are a least developed country, but in pharmaceuticals, we are ahead” DR. M.A. MALEK CHOWDHURY Director, Industrial Operations In the photo above he demonstrates the infusion bags, used for diarrhoea and post–operations, which are now manufactured by Popular Pharmaceuticals in Bangladesh ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE MEDICINES Popular Pharmaceuticals is one of Bangladesh’s largest companies producing […]
Providing Finance To Growing Companies In Sub-Saharan Africa
Towards the end of 2012 CDC committed US$30m to the Investec Africa Credit Opportunities Fund I, sub-Saharan Africa’s first corporate debt fund, which is run by Investec Asset Management. The commitment was the first made by CDC’s debt and financial institutions team. Debt investments, which are made directly to companies and financial institutions as well […]
ESG Standards In Heavy Manufacturing
“I’m proud to say Athi River Steel Plant is one step ahead of any other steel manufacturing company in Kenya. We are the benchmark as far as health and safety policy implementation is concerned. Our safety record has improved tremendously.” IMPROVING ESG STANDARDS The air rings with the jangling sounds of banging metal and the […]
Supporting Jobs In Dhaka
“My father was sick and I had to support the family. I have a younger brother and sister who go to school.” Rupa Sewing Operator, Ananta Apparels HAVING A JOB When Rupa’s father fell ill, she found she had to earn an income to support the family to supplement the income earned from her father’s […]
Supporting Rural Employment
BACKGROUND Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in Africa, with over 70% of its population living below the poverty line. It is also ranked 163 out of 189 on the World Bank’s ease of doing business index, making it even harder for businesses to flourish and drive economic growth. The lychee industry is a […]
Vehicle Finance For Entrepreneurs That Can't Access Bank Loans
By CDC Lalu Ram bought a tractor for US$8000 with a loan from Au Financiers, a non-bank finance company based locally in Jaipur. Farmers like Lalu Ram would find it almost impossible to obtain a loan from a ‘traditional’ bank as they often do not have the proper documentation.With the use of a tractor, Lalu […]
Vehicle Finance For Entrepreneurs That Can’t Access Bank Loans
By CDC Lalu Ram bought a tractor for US$8000 with a loan from Au Financiers, a non-bank finance company based locally in Jaipur. Farmers like Lalu Ram would find it almost impossible to obtain a loan from a ‘traditional’ bank as they often do not have the proper documentation.With the use of a tractor, Lalu […]
Linking Small Holder Farmers in Africa to Global Consumers
The first investment made by CDC’s new equity investment team was made in the autumn of 2012 when CDC provided US$32.5m to the founders of Export Trading Group (ETG). ETG is an African agribusiness with operations in crop buying, warehousing, distribution and merchandising that employs over 7,000 people. THE FIRST EQUITY INVESTMENT UNDER NEW STRATEGY […]
Job Creation In Kenya
“Now I have a steady income there is no hassle of meeting my financial obligations to the family or to dependents. In Africa, if you have a job, you usually have a lot of dependents, not only your family.” Christopher Wangul has been working at Athi Steel for more than 14 years. HAVING A JOB […]
Prosper – The Next Stage of SABMiller's SD Journey
Over the past decade, leading multinational companies have recognized that to effectively manage environmental, social and governance issues, they have to integrate them into their core business practices. This moves sustainability beyond compliance and community social investment, although these are still important elements of the whole. SABMiller has been one of the pioneers in this […]
Prosper – The Next Stage of SABMiller’s SD Journey
Over the past decade, leading multinational companies have recognized that to effectively manage environmental, social and governance issues, they have to integrate them into their core business practices. This moves sustainability beyond compliance and community social investment, although these are still important elements of the whole. SABMiller has been one of the pioneers in this […]
Prospering through Partnerships
Around the world, most of our beers are brewed locally, often with local barley, maize or other crops – and always with local water – by local people, for local consumers. Our brands are also mostly local, with more than two hundred local beers brands which have grown from national or regional identities. Beer is […]
GSK and Save The Children Healthcare Innovation Award
The GSK and Save the Children Healthcare Innovation Award is back, do you know of an innovative solution that’s helping to save the lives of young children in developing countries? Then GSK and Save the Children want to hear about it. A year ago in Malawi, a tiny baby was born prematurely at seven months, […]
Inspiring a New Generation of Intrapreneurs
Photo Credit*: Tim Maynard/VSO July 7th 2014: Public debate on the role of the private sector in poverty alleviation is longstanding, but there is no doubt that the lines between the private, public and non-profit sectors are becoming more blurred. Recently, Gib Bulloch, Executive Director of Accenture Development Partnerships, blogged on the Huffington Post about […]
Why Impact Measurement Is Important For Your Business
I recently had the opportunity to to represent IGD on a panel titled “Transformative Technology” at the Agribusiness & Food World Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, where conversations focused on the changes that are sweeping African agriculture. My co-panelists, representing Vodafone, Standard Bank, Google Inc., Columbia University, and the International Trade Centre (ITC), highlighted […]