Effective MSME Strategy in Malawi
Micro Small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play an important role in the economy of many developing economies and Malawi is no exception. Evidence[1] shows small and medium enterprises make up about 1.7 million people, equivalent to 38% of Malawi’s total working age population. Women make up 46% of these employment figures – up 4% from […]
The Power of Water and Soap
Sometimes in seeking solutions to big challenges, the simple things can be taken for granted. I recall a meeting I attended several years ago. Johnson & Johnson’s Contribution Committee for Africa convened in Lusaka, Zambia to decide what strategies we would pursue to improve health care for the needy in Africa. It is an exotic […]
Do Small, Local Businesses Fit into DFID’s Increased Focus on Economic Development?
International Investments in Emerging Economies
Yesterday we saw that private investment is becoming increasingly important for many developing countries. Today we focus on two questions: What role do foreign investors play in different developing countries? And how can we maximise their contributions towards getting poverty to zero? Most foreign investment in developing countries is either in the largest and most […]
The Critical Role of the Private Sector in Ending Poverty
There is growing consensus about the vital role that the private sector does, can and should play in development and ending poverty. The idea of sustainable business – going beyond social responsibility to strike a different balance between the goals of profit and social return – has been a new source of energy in the […]
Small Business Fights Poverty?
There is very little argument these days about whether businesses are critical in development processes. Not surprising when you consider that their combined activity eclipses both aid and government spending. But there seems to be less consensus on what approaches with business will achieve poverty outcomes. How should we shape policy and practice to ensure […]
Impact Investments to End Poverty
All resources flowing to developing countries – domestic and international, public, private and commercial – can be used for ending poverty: aid is not the only resource that can be used. Some will deliver immediate returns; other investments will deliver longer-term impact. They will each have advantages for different objectives and in different contexts. The […]
Travelling to Meet Changemakers
It was an inspiring and very humbling experience for me to visit social entrepreneurs, to see their work with my own eyes and to learn from their struggles and successes. It was in 2012, when I participated in a tour of Journeys for Change in India, that I realized that watching videos and reading about […]
Uniting David & Goliath to Accelerate Agri-Development
Having worked across public, private and non-profit sectors in agricultural development for over 25 years, I have seen first-hand the benefits of successfully engaging with small-scale farmers in emerging economies. There is a clear link between the development of a viable agricultural sector, inclusive economic growth and food security in emerging markets. Research by Imperial […]
Uniting David & Goliath to Accelerate Agri-Development
Having worked across public, private and non-profit sectors in agricultural development for over 25 years, I have seen first-hand the benefits of successfully engaging with small-scale farmers in emerging economies. There is a clear link between the development of a viable agricultural sector, inclusive economic growth and food security in emerging markets. Research by Imperial […]
A DFID Perspective on the Private Sector
An Interview with Alistair Fernie, Head of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) Private Sector Department. The interview was conducted by the Business Call to Action. Alistair Fernie has been head of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) private sector department, based in London, since 5 August 2013. Prior to that he spent four and […]
Climate Change: Fact-Checking Food Production
A recent report that astronomers have identified billions of planets with the potential to possess earth-like environments has sparked new interest in the interstellar search for alien worlds. But climate scientists might suggest that if it’s alien environments you’re after, you might one day find what you’re looking for right here on earth. That’s because […]
The Challenges of Mixing Business and Religion
Emily Youatt, Kompanion Financial Group’s Marketing & Development Specialist, interviews Zamir Pusurov, Director of Kompanion Invest In Kyrgyzstan, Kompanion Invest, the country’s only Islamic microfinance institution is trying to find a foothold in the country’s financial sector. In a country where over 85 percent of citizens are followers of Islam and many seek to run […]
Launching The Intrapreneur Lab 2014
Zeitgeist. The ‘spirit of the time’ which like a favourable wind, if you catch carries you to a far shore. Intrapreneurship is individuals pursuing profitable innovations that make a difference…inside their companies. And we think it’s in the zeitgeist. It seems to resonate with our generation. A generation whose ambition is satisfied by the corporate […]
How to Make Private Public Cooperation Work?
The development cooperation landscape has changed considerably over the past decade. New actors, instruments and partnering guides have popped up everywhere as a consequence of a tightening of public resources, partially as a follow-up to the financial crisis. This policy response has also released much needed creativity, both from the public and the private sector […]
The Intrapreneur Lab
What is the best way for proven, innovative ideas to achieve sustainable expansion and scale? For many social intrapreneurs, this is the Holy Grail of their business. The successful intrapreneur operates in a supportive environment that includes a combination of innovative and risk-taking corporate culture, strong personal relationships and the ability to tap into the […]
Should DFID Promote British Business Overseas?
Justine Greening’s speech at the London Stock Exchange on Monday highlights the growing emphasis on how business contributes to economic growth, and on how growth is the way out of absolute poverty. There are two interrelated objectives here: reduce poverty in developing countries through economic growth (i.e. by creating new jobs and raising incomes) and […]
Women's Economic Equality In The Middle East
“Women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world – the numbers tell the story quite clearly,” says Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her 2010 TEDx Talk. Sandberg’s advice to women in her New York Times bestseller, “Lean In,” is relevant across the globe: less than half of working-age […]
Women’s Economic Equality In The Middle East
“Women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world – the numbers tell the story quite clearly,” says Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her 2010 TEDx Talk. Sandberg’s advice to women in her New York Times bestseller, “Lean In,” is relevant across the globe: less than half of working-age […]
Can Business Help Combat Hunger and Malnutrition?
Has the past month seen real green shoots around engaging the private sector in the struggle to end malnutrition in the world? Perhaps. The World Economic Forum meeting in Davos was a step change with business and political leaders signing up to the UN Secretary General’s “Zero Hunger” challenge to eliminate hunger in our lifetimes. […]