New survey: importance of mentoring and training for entrepreneurs
Non-financial support is a vital factor behind the success of today’s young entrepreneurs, a YBI survey of 1,000 entrepreneurs in 21 countries today reveals. The survey, launched today to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week, shows that although entrepreneurs need money to start up their business, it is the non-financial assistance, such as mentoring and training, that […]
Seeking Great Business Ideas for Investment
The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), which invests in businesses wishing to implement commercially viable and high development impact projects in Africa, is launching three new competitions to spur business innovation and investment in: agribusiness development across Sub-Saharan Africa; renewable energy and adaptation to help small farmers in East Africa to adapt to climate change; […]
Zidisha.org Facilitates $100,000 in P2P Microloans, “Turns Microfinance On Its Head”
While conducting fieldwork for a microfinance organization in West Africa in 2006, Zidisha.org founder Julia Kurnia noticed something startling. Loans that were funded at zero interest by well-meaning participants in the popular microlending website Kiva.org were costing the impoverished beneficiaries more than 35% on average in interest and fees. The exorbitant rates were charged by […]
BFP Exclusive Interview: New 'Center for Private Sector in Development' Opens its Doors for Business
Background: The UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) was established as a result of a partnership agreement signed by the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was inaugurated by UNDP Administrator Ms. Helen Clark in March 2011 and will become fully operational in […]
BFP Exclusive Interview: New ‘Center for Private Sector in Development’ Opens its Doors for Business
Background: The UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) was established as a result of a partnership agreement signed by the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was inaugurated by UNDP Administrator Ms. Helen Clark in March 2011 and will become fully operational in […]
Electricity Generation from Renewable Energy
Will Africa have the power it needs in the future? Will Africa have the technology it needs to supply adequate power? Will reliable electricity become an unaffordable luxury for low-income Africans? In the last few years, utility bills have risen many times in most African countries. The rising cost of fuel combined with the rising […]
Africa: Consider Vocational training
It is worth recalling that vocational training is but one instrument for employment generation in Africa and, as such, should be kept in perspective. Whereas vocational training can develop appropriate skills and thereby improve labour supply and the “employability” of the work force, demand for labour depends on incentives for investment, including prices, the exchange […]
SABMiller launches first ever cassava lager in Mozambique
SABMiller plc, one of the world’s largest brewers, today announced the launch of the first ever commercial-scale cassava-based beer. The beer, ‘Impala’, will be brewed in Mozambique by SABMiller’s local subsidiary, Cervejas de Moçambique (CDM). The launch marks the latest step in SABMiller’s ambition to create a portfolio of high-quality, affordable beers made using locally-sourced […]
A New Private Sector Partnership to Share Business Skills
By Stephen Jordan, Founder and Executive Director, U.S. Chamber BCLC Over the last few years, BCLC has been working on different products to help companies manage their community engagement more effectively. At the recent Global Corporate Citizenship Conference (http://bclcglobal.uschamber.com), BCLC unveiled two products to do just that: our Business for Good Map and the International […]
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. […]
Doing good by doing well: Shaping a sustainable future
Public pressure to tackle social issues isn’t just a threat to success–it’s also an opportunity for companies that know how to pick issues that are ripest for their leadership. Several trends are creating a new set of challenges for corporations. For example, even as a global company facing resource scarcity must create more efficient products […]
The Case for A Global Business Coalition for Education, a new report by the Brookings Institution
According to a Brookings Institution report released this month, the global education crisis in developing countries could be addressed through a coordinated effort undertaken by businesses through a special coalition. In “The Case for A Global Business Coalition for Education”, Dr. Justin W. Van Fleet argues that “as direct stakeholders in the quality of education […]
Monitise Granted Licence to Bring Mobile Money to Nigeria
Monitise plc, the technology company delivering mobile banking, payments and commerce networks worldwide, is set to build Nigeria’s first mobile shared financial services platform after being granted a Mobile Payment System Provider licence to provide mobile money services by the country’s Central Bank. The Monitise technology platform is designed to be shared by various banks […]
Mark Foster: The Business Sector’s Pivotal Role in Growth
The current debt crisis has been portrayed in apocalyptic terms. The downgrading of the US’ triple-A rating, the paralysis of the political systems and the deficit of leadership in both US and Europe are depicted as marking the end of the era of growth. Cut public spending too deep and too fast, and recovery will […]
Launch of Private Sector Toolkit for Working with Youth – United Nations and Restless Development
Africa – Here Comes the Judge
The significant reform of many of the commercial justice systems in Africa means that the economic growth the continent has generated in recent years is likely to accelerate. At a moment when global investors are conducting half-year reviews of where the most promising opportunities are for the next six months and beyond, the implications of […]
Paul Polak, Founder, iDE: At Least a Million
For many years I have been a vocal advocate for what I call the “Don’t Bother Trilogy” in the practice of design, which states: 1. If you haven’t had good conversations with at least 25 customers before you start 2. If the product or service you design doesn’t pay for itself three times in the […]
Electronic money is pro-poor
Blog written by Ignacio Mas, an independent consultant on technology-enabled models for financial inclusion. He has been senior advisor in the Financial Services for the Poor program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and at the Technology Program at CGAP. Previously he was director of Global Business Strategy at Vodafone Group, and a senior […]
Désirée Abrahams: Human Rights Impact Assessments are Like a Promising School Band
Last week, I attended the 31st International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) Conference, held in the stunning, colonial Méxican city of Puebla. I was honoured to be invited to this amazing conference; not only to listen and learn from those working at all levels in the impact assessment (IA) field but also because the session […]
Making Broadband Accessible For All
Blog by Matthew Kirk, Group External Affairs Director, Vodafone Group and Steve Bratt, Chief Executive Officer, World Wide Web Foundation, about the twelfth in the Series of Policy Papers, launched on 19 May 2011, from the Vodafone Socio-Economic Impact of Mobile (SIM) Advisory Panel. To download the report, click here. Most governments rightly see getting […]