Getting into International Development
The International Development sector is notoriously hard to get into, especially for those like myself who are mid-career and have no experience outside the commercial world. If you are interested in getting into the sector, but not sure how to go about it, here’s how I did it. Where it all started Like many people, […]
Improving Healthcare through Game-Changing Business Models
What better way to improve healthcare than through game-changing business models that have the potential to transform the industry? Ashoka Changemakers and Boehringer Ingelheim are partnering to find ideas that allow businesses throughout the world to Transform Health Systems. Finding innovative ways to change how healthcare is delivered and sustained is critical if the industry […]
Living Goods – the “Avon of pro-poor products”
Photo credit: Esther Havens By Susannah Hares, Head of Innovation, ARK International Tim Harford, in his quite brilliant book Adapt, said: “Few company bosses would care to admit it, but the market fumbles its way to success, as successful ideas take off and unsuccessful ones die. When we see the survivors of this process – […]
Access to Nutrition Index Calls on Businesses to Improve Their Nutrition Practices
, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition Obesity and undernutrition affect over 3 billion people and are among the world’s most pressing public health concerns. Efforts to address them are vital to ensure that people around the world can live healthy and productive lives. The launch of the Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) this […]
Toilet Teachings: 2 Toilet Ventures Illustrate Strategies For Success In Inclusive Business
I’ve leant more than I ever expected about toilets the past 6 months. But understanding toilet ventures has taught me a lot about how inclusive business works. In fact, the challenges and innovations that we can see in two sanitation projects in slums of Kenya and India illustrate typical issues for businesses that are solving […]
Empowering women through skills development in Tanzania’s oil and gas industry
BG Group entered Tanzania in 2010 with a genuine commitment to making a positive contribution to the lives of the Tanzanian people as much as to the country’s economy. As a world leader in natural gas with activities in more than 20 countries, we understand the importance of investing in sustainable development to ensure the […]
Management skills – the missing link in Africa’s development
Africa has reached a turning point. No longer viewed as the hopeless continent, it has an abundance of natural wealth, its economies are growing, investment is on the rise and its population is young, large and increasingly affluent. Yet, a key ingredient is missing. Africa lacks effective and competent managers – across the private, public […]
Nutrients for All – Thriving Ecosystems for Productive, Resilient Food Systems
Natural ecosystems ensure that vital nutrients flow from soils to food to people. Thriving ecosystems are the bedrock of healthy nutrient chains, the basis of all life on the planet. So what’s the issue? Degraded by human activity like unsustainable agricultural practices, ecosystems around the world and their capacity to regenerate are threatened. This escalating […]
Improving Education Governance and Financing- A Bigger Role for the Private Sector
By Allison Anderson Nonresident Fellow, Center for Universal Education, Brookings Institution, and Amanda Gardiner, Head of International Affairs, Pearson What are the key obstacles in financing education? Who should be held accountable for ensuring that children receive a good quality education? These questions are at the heart of the debate going on in the post-2015 […]
Nutrients for All: Vitality in Soil, Food, and People
Being fully nourished is a must for good health, but did you know that the carrot you’re eating today probably has far fewer vitamins and minerals than a carrot grown 50 years ago? Soil depletion, as a result of unsustainable farming methods, is a primary culprit. Another cause of depleted nutrients has been the breeding […]
Fighting Hunger
The Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign which 100 charities launched yesterday includes some inspiring and also challenging messages for business and the wider world. At the heart of the new campaign is the fact that although the world produces enough food for everyone, hundreds of millions of people are hungry and malnourished, with devastating […]
UK NGOs Launch "IF" Campaign on Food and Hunger
The Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign which 100 charities launched yesterday includes some inspiring and also challenging messages for business and the wider world. At the heart of the new campaign is the fact that although the world produces enough food for everyone, hundreds of millions of people are hungry and malnourished, with devastating […]
UK NGOs Launch “IF” Campaign on Food and Hunger
The Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign which 100 charities launched yesterday includes some inspiring and also challenging messages for business and the wider world. At the heart of the new campaign is the fact that although the world produces enough food for everyone, hundreds of millions of people are hungry and malnourished, with devastating […]
Video Contest – Can Business Education Change the World?
Can Business Education Change the World? We think so. Here at the Global Business School Network, we believe that business education is essential to improving economic and social development in the developing world. Business students, from MBAs to entrepreneurs going through certificate programs – are making a positive impact in developing countries through their volunteer […]
Lisa Dreier: Can partnerships feed the world?
Global food systems are increasingly at risk. Rising demand, scarce resources and increased volatility are putting new pressures on agriculture and food systems. More than 870 million people are chronically hungry, many of whom are small farmers. Farmers are not the only ones struggling. Governments, companies, international agencies and civil society groups are looking for […]
Can partnerships feed the world?
Global food systems are increasingly at risk. Rising demand, scarce resources and increased volatility are putting new pressures on agriculture and food systems. More than 870 million people are chronically hungry, many of whom are small farmers. Farmers are not the only ones struggling. Governments, companies, international agencies and civil society groups are looking for […]
Is Small the Best Size for Nutrition? The Success and Challenges of Weaning Food Businesses in Ghana
As nutrition moves up the agenda of development organisations, donors are on the lookout for nutritious foods. And they want models of businesses getting healthy foods to the people who need them, all without requiring too much outside investment. In previous posts, we’ve seen how big business is getting involved in addressing undernutrition, by selling […]
Quality medicines for all
Ensuring that patients in the developing world get access to the medicines they need remains an unfulfilled desire. This is true in spite of the significant progress over the last decade in providing treatment to poor people suffering in particular from the “big three” pandemics, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The reasons for this access gap […]
The Talent Paradox: Funding Education as a Global Public Good
Addressing the massive needs of India’s education system was one small part of the discussion at the most recent World Economic Forum in Delhi. But for a country that is projected to supply approximately 25 percent of the global talent pool by 2030, what could be more important than getting education right? Especially for corporate […]
Doing good business for better health
The drive to ensure access to medicine in low-income countries is a vital priority where private sector companies, governments, NGOs, international agencies and academic institutions all have a vital role to play. True, pharmaceutical companies have not always been seen as altruistic leaders in this field, but in recent years our industry’s leaders have been […]