Category: Economic Development

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 […]

What No Cash? Does Technical Assistance to Inclusive Business Really Help?

‘What no cash?’ is what some businesses thought on first sight, responding to the offer of technical assistance from the Business Innovation Facility, funded by DFID. ‘Technical assistance can help inclusive businesses to develop faster and/or build more robust business models.’ That was one of the assumptions on which the programme was based, and is […]

Six Partnership Propositions

The roadmap for business engagement in partnership, being launched at GPEDC in Mexico in April, is based on a series of linked propositions. These draw on a recent BAA / Harvard CSRI / TPI report, and they have been refined during the roadmap interview process. In this blog article we are inviting feedback and challenge […]

Can Partnerships Become 'The New Normal'?

As the post-2015 development architecture is being debated and put in place, the role of business as a partner in development remains a critical subject of debate. While an increasing number of commentators and practitioners agree that business has an essential role to play, translating the rhetoric into action is far from straightforward. In April, […]

Can Partnerships Become ‘The New Normal’?

As the post-2015 development architecture is being debated and put in place, the role of business as a partner in development remains a critical subject of debate. While an increasing number of commentators and practitioners agree that business has an essential role to play, translating the rhetoric into action is far from straightforward. In April, […]

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 […]

Is Technical Assistance Helpful to Inclusive Business?

‘What no cash?’ is what some businesses thought on first sight, responding to the offer of technical assistance from the Business Innovation Facility, funded by DFID. ‘Technical assistance can help inclusive businesses to develop faster and/or build more robust business models.’ That was one of the assumptions on which the programme was based, and is […]

From Inception to Scale

The journey from inception to scale in inclusive business takes around a decade. And the journey is not just a bumpy ride, but a zigzag route. These are two conclusions drawn from the experience so far of around 40 businesses that received technical support from the Business Innovation Facility between 2010 and 2013. Most of […]

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. […]

Evidence of Inclusive Business Results

There is a dearth of hard data on the commercial and social results of inclusive business. So we have been scrutinising thousands of pieces of data from 40 inclusive businesses, to see if findings from the Business Innovation Facility portfolio can help address that gap. On the down side, the businesses are still early stage, […]

'Business is Best' in Uganda

How much can you learn about the entrepreneurship culture of a country in one week? The answer, when you are travelling hundreds of miles with the Enterprise Uganda team, is a truly incredible amount. Late last year I was lucky enough to travel to Uganda along with Sarah Shearman, finalist in the Guardian’s International Development […]

‘Business is Best’ in Uganda

How much can you learn about the entrepreneurship culture of a country in one week? The answer, when you are travelling hundreds of miles with the Enterprise Uganda team, is a truly incredible amount. Late last year I was lucky enough to travel to Uganda along with Sarah Shearman, finalist in the Guardian’s International Development […]

Business Models Engaging BoP Consumers & Producers

Success in inclusive business depends on getting the business model right. Obvious, but not easy. Of course there is no blueprint. But scrutinising 40 inclusive businesses in the portfolio supported by the Business Innovation Facility pilot from 2010-2013, we discern some common features. As the BIF pilot draws to a close, we have five assertions […]

Business Models Engaging BoP Consumers & Producers

Success in inclusive business depends on getting the business model right. Obvious, but not easy. Of course there is no blueprint. But scrutinising 40 inclusive businesses in the portfolio supported by the Business Innovation Facility pilot from 2010-2013, we discern some common features. As the BIF pilot draws to a close, we have five assertions […]

Should the UK Government Promote UK Businesses in Developing Countries?

​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 […]