Women Extension Volunteers in the Cocoa Farms
It took a strong, single young mother of two to bring you the delicious chocolate egg you are biting into this Easter. Just a few years ago Anita, a young, unemployed, single mother of two seemed an unlikely community leader. But her fellow villagers in Ghana’s Odumase District, recognized her strong leadership abilities, recommending her […]
Delivering Impact Beyond Income
Ten years ago I had a moment of disillusionment with the charity sector. I was working on the intractable conflict in Sudan: progress was slow, and I’m not known for my patience. I began to feel that traditional models of aid had limitations and decided it was time to explore different routes to tackling poverty. […]
Empowering Women: Essential to Sustainable Development
It’s widely recognised that creating opportunities for women is essential to build stronger economies, achieve development goals, and improve the quality of life for whole communities. The OECD state that Women’s Economic Empowerment is a prerequisite for sustainable development, pro-poor growth and the achievement of all the MDGs[1]. But, what do we mean by ‘Women’s […]
Africa's Digital Revolution
Just over 20 years ago, Robert Kaplan wrote a stark warning about the mounting strategic danger posed by an anarchic, uncontrollable, “increasing lawlessness” in West Africa. He argued that a sort of ‘criminal anarchy’ was emerging as a major strategic danger. Six years later, the Economist ran an editorial naming Africa ‘the Hopeless Continent’, claiming […]
Africa’s Digital Revolution
Just over 20 years ago, Robert Kaplan wrote a stark warning about the mounting strategic danger posed by an anarchic, uncontrollable, “increasing lawlessness” in West Africa. He argued that a sort of ‘criminal anarchy’ was emerging as a major strategic danger. Six years later, the Economist ran an editorial naming Africa ‘the Hopeless Continent’, claiming […]
Inclusive Value Chains in Plastic Waste Management
For a long time, waste management and recycling were primarily discussed in the context of environmental preservation. However with natural resources becoming scarcer and prices of raw materials increasing, it is no surprise that materials and energy recovered from recycling waste are gradually recognised as a valuable commodity, particularly by enterprises. In its Green Economy […]
Value in Sustainable and Inclusive Business Activities
‘Potential cocoa shortage by 2020’ was an obvious business case for a company like Hershey’s to invest in being resilient to climate change in order to sustain long-term profits. Hershey’s has even surpassed its 2014 goals, announcing that 30% of its globally sourced cocoa is independently certified and verified. Cost reduction strategies by Pacific Rubiales […]
Trader Standards Get a Make-over
Do you have a flattering angle that you prefer for photos? Do you turn your head slightly toward the camera, nose down? Do you like looking wistfully off to the right? Among Fairtrade campaigners, a worryingly large number of people seem to think their best angle is in a banana suit. But at Fairtrade, we […]
Recognizing the Power of Cross-Sector Collaboration
The role of business in society is changing. Philanthropy is no longer the primary way that businesses make the world a better place. Increasingly, through public-private partnerships (P3s), businesses, nonprofits, and governments are working together to address entrenched issues, like poverty and climate change. By pooling funding, assets, and expertise, partnerships are capable of generating […]
An EU Backed Sanitation Stimulus in Poor Countries?
This Sunday (22nd March) is World Water Day. But there is little cause to celebrate. As the twin-track Post-2015 Development Agenda rolls on towards hopeful denouement at the end of this year, it is Millennium Development Goal no.7c (halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation) that is the […]
Water Stewardship: Good for Business and Development
The United Nations is finalizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of international goals addressing a wide range of global challenges, including energy, agriculture, governance, and poverty reduction. The SDGs will be implemented when the Millennium Development Goals, the UN’s last set of development targets, expire at the end of 2015 and water-related issues […]
Improving the Lives of 2.5m Farmers and their Families
More than 90% of farms are run by an individual or a family and they produce about 80% of the world’s food, yet many family farmers face ill health and low productivity as a result of poor diets. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) calculates that around half of the world’s hungry people are from […]
Towards Ethically and Sustainably Sourced Cotton
As we bring together buyers and suppliers, manufacturers and NGOs to discuss what is needed for a sustainable supply of cotton, it seems clear we need to address the economic equation of supply and demand. Experience from other sectors suggests that the business proposition for procuring ethically and sustainably sourced cotton will be driven by […]
How USAID Partners with Business for Development Impact
USAID works with a diverse array of partners. Among these partners, the private sector—global and local businesses, financial institutions, investors, and entrepreneurs—has a unique and growing role to play in global problem solving. USAID partners with the private sector where there is strong alignment between development objectives and business interests. Today, there is increasing overlap […]
Helping Small Businesses Thrive in Africa
I recently had the pleasure of meeting a group of small retailers in Colombia, women and men from among the 780,000 “tenderos” in SABMiller’s value chain in Latin America. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about the “4e Camino al Progreso” (4e) programme developed by my Latin American colleagues together with their […]
Putting Enterprise at the Heart of the Post-2015 Agenda
The international community is busy defining a new set of “Sustainable Development Goals” that will shape the agenda when the current Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire later this year. One striking improvement is the emphasis being placed on inclusive growth, jobs and enterprise. And in that context it is encouraging to see the draft SDGs […]
The Business Case for Girls
One of the most common questions we get from entrepreneurs is why we’ve chosen to focus the SPRING Accelerator exclusively on adolescent girls who are living in poverty. Entrepreneurs understand the general business case for base of the pyramid (BoP) consumers, who represent a global market of nearly $5 trillion. They also understand that BoP […]
Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Rural Communities
I met Tania five weeks ago during a field visit to Barisal, a city in Southern Bangladesh. I had gone to collect stories from female entrepreneurs in a small sub-district and learn about their lives before and since they began generating an income. Tania clearly stood out as the youngest of all the women I […]
Gender Equality: Good for Women, Business & Development
As we approach International Women’s Day, some might question whether we still need an officially designated day to champion women’s rights. Some might say that we now enjoy equal opportunities in our workplaces and in society at large, and that the battle has been won. But while businesses are likely to have a gender policy […]
Gender Equality: Good for Women, Business & Development
As we approach International Women’s Day, some might question whether we still need an officially designated day to champion women’s rights. Some might say that we now enjoy equal opportunities in our workplaces and in society at large, and that the battle has been won. But while businesses are likely to have a gender policy […]