Creating a sales force of solar entrepreneurs
Which continents have the highest number of mobile phone subscribers? The answer isn’t Europe or the Americas, where mobile phones first took off, but Asia and, as of 2011, Africa. By the end of last year there were over 600m mobile phones subscribers from Cairo to Cape Town, according to research by the GSMA. This […]
Accion – Business Tools for Social Impact
Many people who, like me, have crossed into the social sector from a for-profit background, want to see nonprofits take advantage of business principles to generate ever better outcomes. Continuous improvement is one such tool. To oversimplify, continuous improvement involves capturing crucial performance data in ongoing feedback loops so staff can make enhancements to better […]
ANDE Celebrates its Third Anniversary
Last week, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) celebrated its third anniversary. As often happens with milestones, for me it was a time to reflect. ANDE is a network of organizations that support small and growing businesses (SGBs) and entrepreneurship in developing and emerging markets. I was first exposed to this idea in the […]
Making Choices
Reach even more than 12,000 rural Bangladeshi women? Boost financial return to investors? Or operate with lower capital requirements? These were just some of the choices facing new investors in Jita, in mid 2012. Jita, launched in December as a Bangladeshi company, is one of many social enterprises demonstrating that commercial return and social impact […]
A Responsibility and a Market: Why Danone May Represent the Future of BoP Business
NextBillion.net, Senior Strategist Saatchi and Saatchi The “future of BOP business” is a sweeping, flashy claim. Yet Danone’s strategy appears to be different for all the right, non-flashy reasons. A strict focus on unit economics, clear understanding of the business’ role in social impact, and most of all, direct links between base of the pyramid […]
World Business and Development Awards 2012
Do you have a successful inclusive business model that is both commercially successful, and is contributing to development? The International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have just launched a call for nominations for their World Business and Development Awards 2012. The Awards demonstrate […]
Made in Bangalore: How Social Enterprise is Transforming Business-As-Usual
As someone who grew up in Bangalore, I have seen my city undergo a startling transformation, from the Pensioners Paradise to the Silicon Valley of India. I am almost a pensioner myself now – I started writing this blog on my 60th birthday. Sometimes I feel stupefied and amazed by the changes – but I […]
New Ventures to Promote Clean Energy
Photo: Curt Carnemark / World Bank More than 12 million low-income people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America will gain access to clean energy following four companies’ commitments made today to the Business Call to Action, a global leadership initiative that promotes sustainable economic and social development. The companies also expect to create approximately 42,000 […]
Creating Shared Value in India
Today India represents one of the fastest growing economies in the world, in great contrast with the debilitating poverty and economic stagnation experienced by one-fifth of its population. Such stark contrast between success and continued need has led the government of India to conclude that “inclusive growth” is a key priority for national development. It’s […]
Four Companies Announce New Ventures to Promote Clean Energy
Photo: Curt Carnemark / World Bank More than 12 million low-income people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America will gain access to clean energy following four companies’ commitments made today to the Business Call to Action, a global leadership initiative that promotes sustainable economic and social development. The companies also expect to create approximately 42,000 […]
BBC World Challenge 2011
This week sees the end of this year’s BBC World Challenge. There are just a few days left for you to vote for your favourite sustainable business and project: the 12 Finalists are profiled below. Vote before midnight (GMT) 11th November. TRASH TO CASH Hand in Hand – biogas energy, India Food waste from restaurants […]
Kenya-based firm to provide 100,000 small farmers with micro-loans
For more news from the Business Call to Action please click here. New York/Nairobi, 11 November 2011 – Juhudi Kilimo, a Kenya-based investment firm, announced today that it will provide some 100,000 smallholder rural farmers in Kenya—more than half of them women—with access to micro-loans and basic financial training by 2016 as part of the […]
Wallpaper Over Malaria
To most people, wallpaper serves an obvious purpose: to decorate homes. But in rural villages across the developing world, an innovative type of wallpaper may soon help protect families from malaria. Malaria is among the world’s most dangerous infectious diseases, claiming the lives about 1 million people every year, according to the World Health Organizations. […]
2009 Series: Assessing impacts of business on development: what do alternative frameworks offer?
On 12 May 2009, Business Action for Africa convened an event with the Overseas Development Institute and the UK Department for International entitled. “Assessing impacts of business on development: what do alternative frameworks offer?” The event was moderated by Simon Maxwell, Senior Research, Overseas Development Institute. The event was hosted by Anglo American. Below is […]
Business and Poverty: Bridging the Gap
2002 – In 1999, a group of nine UK-based organisations came together, with support from the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID), to establish the Resource Centre for the Social Dimensions of Business Practice. Through the Resource Centre, the organisations sought to investigate the links between business and poverty, to marshal the arguments for […]