Can Partnerships Become 'The New Normal'?
As the post-2015 development architecture is being debated and put in place, the role of business as a partner in development remains a critical subject of debate. While an increasing number of commentators and practitioners agree that business has an essential role to play, translating the rhetoric into action is far from straightforward. In April, […]
Can Partnerships Become ‘The New Normal’?
As the post-2015 development architecture is being debated and put in place, the role of business as a partner in development remains a critical subject of debate. While an increasing number of commentators and practitioners agree that business has an essential role to play, translating the rhetoric into action is far from straightforward. In April, […]
The Challenges of Mixing Business and Religion
Emily Youatt, Kompanion Financial Group’s Marketing & Development Specialist, interviews Zamir Pusurov, Director of Kompanion Invest In Kyrgyzstan, Kompanion Invest, the country’s only Islamic microfinance institution is trying to find a foothold in the country’s financial sector. In a country where over 85 percent of citizens are followers of Islam and many seek to run […]
How to Make Private Public Cooperation Work?
The development cooperation landscape has changed considerably over the past decade. New actors, instruments and partnering guides have popped up everywhere as a consequence of a tightening of public resources, partially as a follow-up to the financial crisis. This policy response has also released much needed creativity, both from the public and the private sector […]
Should DFID Promote British Business Overseas?
Justine Greening’s speech at the London Stock Exchange on Monday highlights the growing emphasis on how business contributes to economic growth, and on how growth is the way out of absolute poverty. There are two interrelated objectives here: reduce poverty in developing countries through economic growth (i.e. by creating new jobs and raising incomes) and […]
Women's Economic Equality In The Middle East
“Women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world – the numbers tell the story quite clearly,” says Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her 2010 TEDx Talk. Sandberg’s advice to women in her New York Times bestseller, “Lean In,” is relevant across the globe: less than half of working-age […]
Women’s Economic Equality In The Middle East
“Women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world – the numbers tell the story quite clearly,” says Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her 2010 TEDx Talk. Sandberg’s advice to women in her New York Times bestseller, “Lean In,” is relevant across the globe: less than half of working-age […]
Can Business Help Combat Hunger and Malnutrition?
Has the past month seen real green shoots around engaging the private sector in the struggle to end malnutrition in the world? Perhaps. The World Economic Forum meeting in Davos was a step change with business and political leaders signing up to the UN Secretary General’s “Zero Hunger” challenge to eliminate hunger in our lifetimes. […]
Unlocking our Potential: Reshaping the World
Having spent some time in Davos at the World Economic Forum (WEF), it’s clear that the role of business in addressing global issues has never been greater. This year’s theme, ‘The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business,’ challenged the 2,500 plus attendees – business leaders, policy makers, academics and journalists – […]
Smart Aid – Why it's All About Jobs
Today, the UK Development Secretary, Justine Greening, delivered a speech at the London Stock Exchange on the role of business in economic growth: “Smart aid: Why it’s all about jobs”. Below is a transcript of the speech. It’s a great pleasure to be here with everyone this morning. And I want to say a massive […]
Smart Aid – Why it’s All About Jobs
Today, the UK Development Secretary, Justine Greening, delivered a speech at the London Stock Exchange on the role of business in economic growth: “Smart aid: Why it’s all about jobs”. Below is a transcript of the speech. It’s a great pleasure to be here with everyone this morning. And I want to say a massive […]
Mistaken Beliefs Blocking Progress for the Poor
Melinda and I published our latest Annual Letter this week. It’s a bit of a departure for us. Unlike the past five letters, this one isn’t about the foundation’s work. Instead, we decided to take on some of the myths — about poverty, overpopulation and foreign aid — that are blocking progress for the poor. […]
How Can We Ensure Food Security for the Future?
As we join fellow chief executives and global leaders at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2014 in Davos-Klosters, one of the top issues on our minds is global food security. Ensuring that we have enough to feed our current and future populations, and providing sustainable livelihoods to farmers and rural communities, are pressing challenges. […]
Twin Tracks and Unusual Allies in Tackling Inequality
The first two days of this year’s Davos gathering have centred on one major issue: income inequality. Right at the start of the meeting a letter from Pope Francis raised the issue, challenging the gathered leaders to make sure wealth served humanity, not the other way around. Oxfam upped the tempo with a widely-covered report […]
Will Millennials Change the Face of CSR?
Everyone has something to say about millennials, the generation born from 1980 to the present, including how they will shape the future of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. Depending on who you ask, the coming of the millennials will mean either a new era of robust and transparent approaches to corporate responsibility, or the […]
How M-PESA Innovates New Business Models for its Base of the Pyramid Customers
M-Pesa is one of the biggest success stories in the history of serving customers at the economic bottom of the pyramid–the world’s poorest. Launched in 2007 by Safaricom, it quickly dominated the cash transfer market, and grew at an astounding rate, capturing more than two-thirds of Kenya’s adult population as customers. Users who subscribe to […]
5 Things Changemakers Can Learn From Muhammad Yunus
It is unlikely that the 15-year-old Muhammad Yunus, who visited North America on a Boy Scout trip a half century ago, ever imagined returning 57 years later to receive the United States Congressional Gold Medal. He was awarded such an accolade earlier this year because he’s had a profound influence on the way the world […]
Islamic Microfinance: Does Faith Matter?
Does an association with faith encourage more prompt repayment of microloans and are the staff of faith-inspired microfinance institutions more motivated? After recently returning from a visit to Pakistan, where I was analysing the operations of an Islamic microfinance institution, I am tempted to answer yes to both questions. The microfinance institution in question is […]
Systemic Impacts: Early signs from the Innovations Against Poverty programme
Systemic impacts are the ultimate goal of almost any donor-funded initiative that supports business in development. In the case of Sida’s Innovations Against Poverty (IAP) programme, that means that Sida’s money not only supports the individual inclusive businesses that receive grant funding (helping them to reach the poor with their products, services and business models), […]
Improving Access to Financial Services
2.5 billion people around the world lack access to financial services such as savings accounts, access to loans, insurance and bank transfers. According to the Centre for Financial Inclusion: “Access to a range of quality financial services at affordable prices, delivered with convenience and dignity, can change the course of an individual’s, family’s, or business’s […]