Empowering Agricultural Entrepreneurs to Sustainably Feed the World
At Cargill, sustainable food production is fundamental to what we do. Our core business is buying, processing and distributing grains, oilseeds and other agricultural commodities and selling them to customers that include food and beverage manufacturers, foodservice companies and retailers. These customers increasingly want to know – and want to prove to their consumers – […]
Social Innovation in South Africa
Enterprise development is at the core of SAB’s long term sustainability strategy, helping create jobs and develop entrepreneurial skills in the communities in which we operate. Encouraging enterprise development is a key sustainable development priority and well integrated into our day-to-day business. Depending on the stage that the entrepreneur’s business idea or Project is at, […]
Wheels for Fortune
It is difficult for people with disabilities to access mobility equipment in remote areas of Africa. Statistics from the UN Development Programme show that less than 1 percent of the need for wheelchairs in developing countries can be met by the limited local production, and those wheelchairs that are available are often unsuitable for the […]
Supporting South Africa’s entrepreneurs every step of the way
Lere Mgayiya founded Lere’s Shoe Shine Experience (http://www.shoeshine.co.za/) in 2003 to provide shoeshine services to passengers and staff at airports around South Africa. There was a glaring gap in the market for the traditional and enduringly popular service, but to spot it showed great entrepreneurial panache, panache and get-go that is unusual in a young […]
Tap the Future: Boosting America’s Disadvantaged Entrepreneurs
For 13 years, MillerCoors invested more than $1.9 million in the businesses and dreams of entrepreneurs through its MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series business competition, also known as MUES. In the US only 15.4% of business are Black- or Hispanic-owned. The MUES programme was designed to empower minority businesses. Now, Miller Lite will launch a new […]
How to Build Successful BoP Business Models
Private companies that want to succeed in doing business with markets at the base of the pyramid (BoP) need to know their customers and their spending habits. They demand quality goods and services even though their cash flow is limited and it fluctuates. Figuring out what BoP consumers will pay for, evaluating their ability to […]
Social Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation – Not the Same Thing
Social entrepreneurs are obsessed, quirky, and disruptive – and that’s why they can be so effective in creating major change. At the UN Social Innovation Summit held at the end of May in New York City, a plenary panelist stated that social enterprises and social innovation are “really the same thing.” This conclusion was not […]
Social Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation – Not the Same Thing
Social entrepreneurs are obsessed, quirky, and disruptive – and that’s why they can be so effective in creating major change. At the UN Social Innovation Summit held at the end of May in New York City, a plenary panelist stated that social enterprises and social innovation are “really the same thing.” This conclusion was not […]
Mining for Development: Shift emphasis from CSR budgets to local procurement to have greater impact on poverty reduction
The development opportunity offered by mining lies in the potential for an increase in local procurement. Local spending is how companies can maximize benefits to local communities. Increased local spending helps small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) create and sustain jobs, invest in their businesses, and establish performance records that make them more competitive and […]
What are the most promising Base of the Pyramid business models in Latin America?
Housing, education and banking, increasingly through mobile technology, are three of the fastest growing areas for private companies doing business with the Base of the Pyramid. Thanks to creative and also profitable new business models, low-income Colombians living outside the formal banking system are buying homes and appliances like fridges and washing machines on credit, […]
Empowering women at scale requires a strong business case and partnership
Coca-Cola, like many other businesses, recognises that our business growth journey in emerging economies will only be sustainable if the benefits of growth reach all members of society, especially those who traditionally have been marginalised, including women and young people. As a business, we believe that there is no better investment than women, both to […]
Event Audio: Empowering Women through Business -Bridging the Financing Gap, Cape Town
On 10 May 2013, The Coca-Cola Company and Business Fights Poverty convened a breakfast event, taking place in the margins of the Africa World Economic Forum, to explore how to strengthen support for women entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on enabling access to finance. A compelling social, economic and business case for investing in the […]
Business, the MDGs and Beyond, May 2013, Cape Town
On 8 May 2013, Business Fights Poverty and the Overseas Development Institute convened an event in Cape Town to explore the role of the private sector in shaping and delivering the post-2015 development agenda. As the world starts to explore what framework might replace the MDGs, it is important to integrate the views of those […]
Strengthening Inclusive Business Ecosystems
Before we started our recent research on Project Nurture, we had thought of the partnership as a relatively straightforward, three-way relationship among The Coca-Cola Company, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and TechnoServe. Between 2010 and 2014, Coca-Cola and the Gates Foundation would contribute $11.5 million to TechnoServe, which would in turn build the capacity […]
How Using Mobile Payment Systems Can Increase Your Revenue And Help You Keep Track Of Sales
In several developing and emerging markets, the use of mobile phones to make financial transactions (‘mobile money’) is now widely accepted, including by those at the base of the economic pyramid (BoP)*. The largest telecoms provider in Africa, MTN, transfers close to $208 million across their networks every month, according to its CEO Themba Khumalo. […]
Laying the Foundation for Sustainable Change
In eastern Uganda, the members of the Kainja Mango Farmers Association once let their mangoes fall to the ground and rot. Buyers considered the local variety, the Sena, to be too low-quality for pulping and juicing. As a result, farmers never cultivated mangoes as a cash crop. Project Nurture, a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, […]
TechnoServe: Laying The Foundation For Sustainable Change
In eastern Uganda, the members of the Kainja Mango Farmers Association once let their mangoes fall to the ground and rot. Buyers considered the local variety, the Sena, to be too low-quality for pulping and juicing. As a result, farmers never cultivated mangoes as a cash crop. Project Nurture, a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, […]
Getting Paid – The Value of Using Mobile Payment Systems
In several developing and emerging markets, the use of mobile phones to make financial transactions (‘mobile money’) is now widely accepted, including by those at the base of the economic pyramid (BoP)*. The largest telecoms provider in Africa, MTN, transfers close to $208 million across their networks every month, according to its CEO Themba Khumalo. […]
The Power of Partnership and Creating Meaningful Change
It started with people and the idea that we, at Coca-Cola, could marry our business interests and expertise to make our products available, acceptable and affordable with the ever growing potential of African agriculture. It seems like a simple transaction for farmers to grow, buy and sell food. However, the reality is a complex one […]
Realizing Africa’s Wealth: Building Inclusive Businesses
Inclusive Business, Impact Investment, Pro-poor economic growth, value chain approaches and improving ecosystems are just a few buzz words floating around in current development debates. They all have one overarching key question in common: How to bring previously excluded people into the marketplace and share economic benefits with low-income communities? The UNDP major report “Realizing […]