The Partnership Behind Uganda’s Soybean Industry
One of the main bottlenecks to the development of Africa’s rural economy and agriculture sector is an often divergent agenda from the government, private sector, researchers and NGOs. Someone needs to “connect the dots” to enhance synergy, and avoid contradictory advice for farmers. East and Central Africa face many complex agricultural problems that no single […]
Women's Power in Agriculture
A salesgirl dressed as a cowgirl waits for clients in a cattle showroom in Depok, West Java province, Indonesia, Oct. 18, 2012. REUTERS/Enny Nuraheni When it comes to women’s economic empowerment, we tend to hear only about the two ends of the spectrum: high-flying women who’ve made it to the top in the macho world […]
Women’s Power in Agriculture
A salesgirl dressed as a cowgirl waits for clients in a cattle showroom in Depok, West Java province, Indonesia, Oct. 18, 2012. REUTERS/Enny Nuraheni When it comes to women’s economic empowerment, we tend to hear only about the two ends of the spectrum: high-flying women who’ve made it to the top in the macho world […]
An Evolving Relationship between NGOs and Private Businesses
A common misperception regarding NGO-private sector relations is one based on mutual distrust and occasional confrontation, or with the advent of corporate social responsibility funding, one solely based on donor-recipient transactions. With the international development landscape rapidly evolving, some historical and present-day assumptions are simply inaccurate. The following statements are NOT true of operational U.S. […]
Business as a Partner in Development
Partnerships are vital if we are to make the greatest possible impact on development. This is why the whole global community – governments, businesses, emerging and developing nations, civil society – needs to agree a new partnership to work together and unite behind the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and work together to achieve them. […]
The Remarkable Progress of Inclusive Business
The first flagship report of Business Call to Action (BCtA) reviewing 5 years, shows strong evidence of progress made by BCtA member companies in providing benefits to people at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) while delivering commercial success. It also maps key challenges found in each sector for companies that engage with the low-income […]
USAID Promotes Inclusive Business for Development Goals
The Business Call to Action interviews Ricardo Michel, Director, Centre for Transformational Partnerships, US Global Development Lab at USAID Ricardo Michel is responsible for the overall strategic direction to best use local and global public-private partnerships for accelerated sustainable development. Previously, Michel served as acting director for the Office of Innovation and Development Alliances, where […]
Making a Better Life in Business
Mbuotidem Okorie dreamt of having his own business, but his disability forced him to beg for a living without hope of work in Nigeria. A Shell programme supporting young entrepreneurs has helped him and others achieve their ambitions. Without the use of his legs, and having no wheelchair or work, paraplegic Mbuotidem Okorie struggled to […]
Running the Numbers, and Having a Transformative Impact
Children attending school in the elements of Africa without shelter, electricity or modern teaching tools Over the last 30 years I have found it useful to constantly and obsessively “Run the Numbers” when I look at any business opportunity. I try to do this in a way that quickly strikes to the heart of any […]
Improving Smallholders Farmers’ Access to Fertilizers in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa represents 10% of the total global population, yet cereal crop yields are only one-third as high as in developing Asia and one-tenth as high as in the United States. Because of such low agricultural productivity – the lowest in the world, the continent spends roughly US$35 billion a year on food imports. The […]
Does Fortifying Food Improve Nutrition for the Poorest?
Image: Nsima by Katy Martin Globally, deficiencies in micronutrients are staggering in scale. According to some estimates, between 40 and 60 percent of all children in developing countries suffer negative health consequences from not receiving enough iron, and a similar percentage don’t get enough Vitamin A. One response to this problem has been more widely […]
Moving to the City
Every second, two people move into a city. Across the world, that’s a million people every week. Many are in search of a better life but, when they arrive, what they find is not what they were expecting. The world is driven by self-interest and nowhere is this more evident than in cities. Behaviour is […]
Participatory Market Research: New Target Group Insight
Photo Credit: Claudia Knobloch Sawing a bed in half to create bunks that will fit in a small room may seem strange at first glance, but look deeper: Furniture on offer in Brazilian stores does not meet the needs of low-income customers. As a result, these consumers either modify what’s available, or spend more money […]
Engaging the Private Sector in the Post-2015 Agenda
Philippe Scholtès and Tim Wall consider the new forms of partnership required to implement innovative business models that respond to commercial imperatives, while also delivering on the development front. In the last two decades, increasing economic growth rates in many developing countries have reshaped the global economy and opened up new opportunities for learning and […]
Harnessing Scottish Business Innovation for Development
What a time to be in Glasgow. What a time to be Scottish. It was an overwhelming sense of pride that I felt during the recent Opening Ceremony of the 20th Commonwealth Games on one of the hottest days of the year. However there was one other equally strong emotion that I felt as I […]
The Direct Impact of Microfinance
Would you invest in a business if you knew it could make 210% net profit in less than 12 months? When staff at Friska, a small business based in Bristol, decided to provide a loan of £140 via Deki to Lydia Nyirongo in Malawi, they believed the loan would help Lydia change her life. What […]
A Shared Value Approach to Protecting Forests
Deforestation is an increasing contributor to global warming and environmental change impacting the health and well-being of the most rural communities. To be sure, the transformation of forested lands by human actions and the removal of trees without sufficient reforestation is one of the greatest drivers of biodiversity destruction, conflict, loss of habitat and wildlife […]
Is The Global Digital Divide Still Widening?
Three billion unique mobile subscribers? Yes, it is a huge number. To learn that another mobile SIM is activated every passing second around the world is overwhelming. And today mobile technology is the easiest entry point to the internet too. Looking at thisICT uptakewe tend to believe that the digital divide – the gap in […]
Improving Healthcare Access in Developing Nations
Outside Kenya’s capital Nairobi lies the small farming town of Embu, which is filled with roadside stalls where farmers sell their mango, potato and rice crops. This remote region, nestled near the hills of Mount Kenya, is the setting for the second phase of the Familia Nawiri (Healthy Family) initiative, one example of a Novartis […]
A Nation’s Coming Of Age: Malawi At 50
Last month was a very significant one for the country known as Africa’s ‘Warm Heart’. Fifty years on from the birth of Malawi’s independence, July provided a poignant moment to evaluate the progress that’s been made across the past five decades. But the anniversary is an equally important time to take stock of the challenges […]