Occupy, Entrepreneurship and Why Businesses Must Evolve
In September 2011 what started as a social movement in a public space at Zuccotti Park in New York City, became an opportunity for those unsatisfied with the way things were to speak out and demand change. At the Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors (which, by the way, is full of activists who first […]
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 […]
Ebola Outbreak – Could PPPs Be The Solution?
The Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia is so out of control that governments have resorted to approaches similar to the medieval-era disease control approach last used in 1918: the “cordon sanitaire” whereby no one is allowed out of a barricade established around an infected area. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), […]
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 […]
Can Markets Work For Nutrition? Lessons From Nigeria
Nigeria’s economy has raced to become the largest in Africa. But the country is also ahead on a tragic statistic: it has the highest rates of stunting in Africa, meaning children suffering because they don’t get the nutrients they need to be healthy. Indeed, malnutrition is estimated to kill 350,000 children each year. Today, more […]
Early-stage Impact Investing: A Call For Action
(www.seedinit.org) The exponential growth of small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in Africa, Asia and Latin America has contributed significantly to the burgeoning green economy. Every year more and more small and green entrepreneurs are creating innovative ways to produce sustainable products and services that are having wide-reaching social and economic impacts on the world’s […]
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 […]
Seven Reasons To Be Optimistic About Africa
This piece originally appeared on the World Economic Forum’s blog. When I meet young Africans who have graduated from overseas universities, I am struck by their excitement for Africa. They have a vision for their countries of origin, and a passion to return to, and invest in, their homelands. This new desire for engagement is […]
Africa: The Time to Invest Is Now
The Africa of 20 years ago is not the Africa of today, and even the Africa of 10 years ago is barely recognizable. While much of the world stagnated in the last five years, the African continent experienced high economic growth and positive equity capital and trade flows. In truth, the future has never looked […]
VSO: Transforming Our People For Over A Decade
This year we’re celebrating the tenth anniversary of seconding our corporate employees to VSO projects around the world. It’s a proud moment in our partnership. What makes it even more special is that our relationship has not only made a difference to VSO, it’s made a difference to our people. If other businesses are considering […]
How Companies are Turning Food Losses into Gains
Experts in global food systems cite the need to expand production in order to feed the world’s growing population. However, just as important is the need to more effectively process and distribute the food we already grow. Here are five facts on the present status of food loss around the globe, and how companies and […]
Building A Successful Platform For Partnership
Platforms for partnership are a vital approach to more systematically drive the creation of cross-sector partnerships for development. They provide a systematic mechanism to convene government, business, NGOs, donors and other development actors around a particular issue or geography. They encourage innovative and creative collaborations, and directly support their development. The evidence is available… The […]
Bitcoin: A Force for Positive Change?
Sex, drugs, thugs and thieves — that’s pretty much been bitcoin’s story since it arrived in 2009. But is bitcoin truly all doom and gloom? What if instead bitcoin isn’t the end of the world, but rather an opportunity for change? Bitcoin is new and it’s a little strange. It’s virtual “money” that people trade […]
Prosper – The Next Stage of SABMiller's SD Journey
Over the past decade, leading multinational companies have recognized that to effectively manage environmental, social and governance issues, they have to integrate them into their core business practices. This moves sustainability beyond compliance and community social investment, although these are still important elements of the whole. SABMiller has been one of the pioneers in this […]
Prosper – The Next Stage of SABMiller’s SD Journey
Over the past decade, leading multinational companies have recognized that to effectively manage environmental, social and governance issues, they have to integrate them into their core business practices. This moves sustainability beyond compliance and community social investment, although these are still important elements of the whole. SABMiller has been one of the pioneers in this […]
Why Impact Measurement Is Important For Your Business
I recently had the opportunity to to represent IGD on a panel titled “Transformative Technology” at the Agribusiness & Food World Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, where conversations focused on the changes that are sweeping African agriculture. My co-panelists, representing Vodafone, Standard Bank, Google Inc., Columbia University, and the International Trade Centre (ITC), highlighted […]
Mobile4Development And The Triple Bottom Line
George Soros heralds Africa as the last bright light on the economic horizon. It is boom time for companies wanting to grow their market share – and mobile is the only true mass media channel in Africa to speak of. Juxtapose the Triple Bottom Line principle and the well accepted term “doing good is good […]
Profit Needn’t be a Dirty Word in Impact Investing
Interview with Edward Hanrahan, Director of Climate Care, on the barriers to scaling-up impact investment. Interview conducted by Duncan Jefferies is Assistant Editor, Green Futures. What are the barriers to scaling up impact investment on sustainability issues from ClimateCare’s point of view? We believe that it is absolutely essential for a truly sustainable business to […]