Sustainable Intensification: Reframing the Future of African Agriculture
Global discussions on agriculture policy can be a complex maze for organisations to navigate with emphasis shifting between a range of development priorities – from greater productivity and improved market access to climate change mitigation/adaptation and protection of land, air, water and biodiversity resources. Is there a system which helps us to find the synergies […]
Green Growth- The Role of the Private Sector
The question that traditional, public policy focussed development practitioners used to ask was “does the private sector matter for development”? Looking at the data, the answer is an overwhelming yes. Just by looking at small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) we can see that they contribute to 50% of jobs and 90% of all enterprises in Africa […]
Recycling Computers and Electronics Sustainably on Earth Day
As evolving technologies keep us hooked to new and updated gadgets, and Americans now own (according to the Environmental Protection Agency) an estimated three billion electronic products, one inconvenient question lurks constantly in the shadows: What are we supposed to do with all of our old gizmos? While responsible businesses and consumers want to recycle […]
Announcing the Winners of the NextBillion Case Writing Competition
In October 2012, the IFC lent Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional Tbk (BTPN) $100 million to finance small and micro enterprises, including women entrepreneurs. The financing, which was six times the amount IFC provided to BTPN in 2009, marked a significant milestone for the Indonesian bank. But just a few years earlier, BTPN President Jerry Ng […]
Investing in Latin America’s Water and Sanitation Solutions
In recent years, rattling off the stats underpinning the problem of water and sanitation solutions has thankfully become more common. Awareness is on the rise. But that doesn’t change the fact that an estimated 2.5 billion people – 37 percent of the world’s population – face the health risks associated with deficient or absent sanitation […]
Maximum Aspiration and Minimum Standards- Driving Change in Business Contributions to Poverty Reduction
Justine Greening’s speech on 11 March at the London Stock Exchange on business and development repays careful study. It expands on the commitment to growth and jobs that she made in an earlier, agenda-setting speech on 7 February. In that earlier speech, she committed to ‘ramping up’ DFID’s focus on helping to drive economic growth, […]
Launch Of The BCtA In Sweden And Announcement Of IKEA’s Commitment
Sahba Sobhani, Program Manager, Business Call to Action, UNDP and Carolina Benedictsson, Program Manager, Global Cooperation Unit, Sida Developing business models that offer both commercial success and development impact has been at the core of the Business Call to Action (BCtA), a worthwhile initiative supported by UNDP and other partners since 2008 to assists companies […]
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 – […]
Discussion – Water with SABMiller
World Water Day: A Sustainable Water Solution for Coffee Processing in Ethiopia
Lensamo Lamiso’s coffee wet mill sits near the banks of the Kolla River in Ethiopia’s Sidama Zone. During the harvest season, the site bustles with activity as 150 seasonal workers process fresh coffee “cherries” from thousands of local farmers. But this activity comes at a cost. Lamiso’s mill uses a large amount of water to […]
World Water Day: Cooperation is Key
By Stuart Orr, Freshwater Manager, WWF; Franz-Josef Batz, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH; and Andy Wales, SVP of Sustainable Development, SABMiller The theme of this year’s world water day is ‘cooperation’. At first glance, cooperation might appear a somewhat passive sentiment; but, in the context of the global water challenge, meaningful change and […]
Discussion: BIF and Sanitation
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 […]
Lendwithcare in the Philippines – Providing more than just microcredit
Like every visit to a lendwithcare.org partner, it has been characteristically heartening to see how these businesses are thriving because of access to vital capital. A typical story is to see that within a year or so of investment, coupled with financial and business advice from our partner MFIs, entrepreneurs have managed to double or […]
Nestlé report sets out forward-looking commitments
Nestlé has published a set of forward-looking commitments to society and on environment sustainability it aims to meet by 2020 or earlier. The company has identified 30 goals in the areas of nutrition, water, rural development, sustainability and compliance in its new report, ‘Nestlé in Society: creating shared value and meeting our commitments 2012’. The […]
Cassava beer in Ghana – New Beer, New Opportunities
Today we’re excited to announce the launch of our cassava beer, Eagle, in Ghana. It marks not just the launch of a new beer brand, but the opening up of new opportunities for business, consumers and Ghana’s smallholder farmers. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of Ghanaian farms are 3 hectares or smaller […]
Low Carbon Logic: How competitiveness drivers create a business case for low carbon investment
Climate change, international mitigation, and natural resource scarcity will transform global trade patterns. What impact will this have on developing countries? How can they maintain their competitiveness, manage threats to their growth, and capitalise on new opportunities generated? And what does this mean for their potential to achieve low carbon growth? At an ODI public […]
Investing in Growth
This morning, the London Stock Exchange hosted the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development. The Secretary of State gave a speech focusing on how DFID’s investments can drive growth in new and emerging markets, and how this work can support businesses operating in these markets and enhance trade. Below is […]
Investing In Growth -How DFID Works In New And Emerging Markets
This morning, the London Stock Exchange hosted the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development. The Secretary of State gave a speech focusing on how DFID’s investments can drive growth in new and emerging markets, and how this work can support businesses operating in these markets and enhance trade. Below is […]
Bridging the Gap for African Women in Business in Uganda
On 2 March, 2013, as part of the 2013 Series, a group of inspiring people came together in Kampala to talk about “Bridging the Gap for African Women in Business”. The event was livestreamed here on Business Fights Poverty, and the focus of a blog by one of the event’s lead organisers, Ida Horner. Hope […]