Access+: A Focus on Education in Africa
As the international community begins defining a post-2015 development agenda, Africa faces a twin crisis of access and learning. With new research, in depth coverage and perspectives from leading thinkers, This Is Africa considers the role learning might play in a post-MDG development agenda on education. This September we are taking an in depth look […]
Education in Africa – looking beyond 2015
“If the youth of our continent are going to be successful in the modern workplace they need more than just books and pens. They need to be immersed in a technology-rich environment from an early age.” Ensuring that all children in Africa receive some sort of education at all is a challenge in itself. A […]
How can business help boost the quality of education?
“We will continue to invest in our future leaders, not simply for our important philanthropic goals but because the sustainability of our business and the economies in which we operate depend on it.” As 2015 fast approaches, discussions relating to the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals have shifted to a dialogue around the post-2015 Development […]
Smarter Impact: A new approach to enabling inclusive economic development in the information age
We are living in exciting times. Information and communications technology has already radically changed the world in which we live in for the better. The lives of billions have been transformed – those that were once isolated or living in remote locations are now connected in a way that offers a wealth of opportunities. The […]
Forget poverty. Let's talk about business
In an article I just finished for How Magazine on the future of design, I used Paul Polak as an example of why generalists are so important to the world right now. I said, “For example, it would be easy to think of global development pioneer Paul Polak as an expert in alleviating poverty, but […]
Forget poverty. Let’s talk about business
In an article I just finished for How Magazine on the future of design, I used Paul Polak as an example of why generalists are so important to the world right now. I said, “For example, it would be easy to think of global development pioneer Paul Polak as an expert in alleviating poverty, but […]
Practical Action Consulting is offering Participatory Market Systems Development training at the SEEP Annual Conference
Practical Action Practical Action Consulting (PAC) is holding a 2-day training workshop to introduce practitioners to the Participatory Market Systems Development (PMSD) approach at the SEEP Annual Conference in Washington DC. This technical training is aimed at enterprise and inclusive market development practitioners who wish to gain a greater understanding of Practical Action’s approach to […]
Clean water: a conduit for a healthier society and better business
As we prepare to publish our annual Global Sustainability Report next week*, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the importance of water, the most important ingredient in all of our brands, and underline our drive to improve water efficiency around the globe, particularly at our production sites in ‘water-stressed’ areas – predominantly in […]
Corporate pulling power to push sustainable development
Around the world many communities are distressed and in turmoil. The re-emergence of right wing political parties as credible electoral options, riots in European capitals, deterioration of living conditions and the development of movements (like ‘occupy’ and the ‘tea party’) are all part of a continuum of discontent. What all of these phenomena share in […]
The Next Digital Revolution
In May this year I had the pleasure of speaking at Seoul Digital Forum (Korea). I was stimulated and challenged by Steve Ballmer’s keynote address in the morning, especially the description of the new Windows 8 and all its bells and whistles. But I had one problem with it. What Steve talked about has no […]
Girls’ Education: Can the global business community rise to the challenge?
Thirty-two million girls across the world have never been to school. A much larger number are dropping out and/or leaving school without basic literacy and numeracy skills. There are numerous reasons why girls are missing out. Education is expensive – girls and their families simply may not be able to afford uniforms, textbooks and travel. […]
The Tax Code, Business, Poverty and Low-Income Workers
There are many strong arguments to be made in favour of the effectiveness of business fighting poverty. Some of them are that: the best anti-poverty programme is a job; jobs are most likely to be produced by the private sector; companies often pay taxes which support social programmes; and the supply chains of corporations often […]
The key to inclusive business- Getting better at partnering
“Partnering with other sectors is a bit like being a parent. Until you’ve experienced it for yourself, you really can’t appreciate what it’s like” – head of education partnerships of a multinational bank. Inclusive business (IB) projects, by definition, tend to sit in areas outside of companies’ traditional comfort zones. Whether providing incomes to disadvantaged […]
Building Inclusive Markets: Impact through Financial and Enterprise Solutions
“Building Inclusive Markets: Impact through Financial and Enterprise Solutions”: this is the theme of this year’s SEEP Annual Conference – and you are invited! I have been attending SEEP conferences for over ten years, and this will be my second year as Executive Director. It is always inspiring to see the new relationships and projects […]
The key to inclusive business: Getting better at partnering
“Partnering with other sectors is a bit like being a parent. Until you’ve experienced it for yourself, you really can’t appreciate what it’s like” – head of education partnerships of a multinational bank. Inclusive business (IB) projects, by definition, tend to sit in areas outside of companies’ traditional comfort zones. Whether providing incomes to disadvantaged […]
Interview: Chantal Sheehan, President, iOnPoverty
What compelled you to start iOnPoverty? I didn’t actually start it – Jonathan Lewis did. (But I’ve been around virtually since day 1.) I immediately could see the genius in it when Jonathan first told me about the idea. He was searching for a way to fill the knowledge gap that college students have about […]
Enabling Green and Inclusive Markets – A Case for Public-private Collaboration
Sustainable development and green growth require real dialogue between private and public sector actors on how to improve the operating environment for green and inclusive businesses. To support this, the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED), UN Global Compact and the World Resource Institute’s (WRI) New Ventures initiative, organized an event “Enabling green and inclusive […]
Climate change and your supply chain – why doing nothing is not an option
Oxfam What happens when climate change impacts on source products that are part of a global supply chain? Oxfam posed this question to three multinational corporations to find out what companies can do to support the farmers in their value chains to adapt. At Oxfam we know that hundreds of millions of people are already […]
Inclusive innovation to Fight Hunger
Eradicating hunger is amongst the most pressing societal challenges of our times and the lack of substantial progress a shameful failure of the international governance system. Besides the necessary increase in international development aid, a higher emphasis on promoting inclusive innovation to fight hunger is also necessary. This means that low-income countries most affected by […]
Charting the Change from BPO to BoP: Training the Next Generation of Skilled Labor in India
Before the services industry boom, the choice for a young graduate in India was very limited. You had to be an engineer or doctor to even think of getting into decent salary league, let alone high-paying salary league. No one can deny the business process outsourcing (BPO) boom was the ultimate game changer, as the […]