NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, June 10, 2011

Want to advance social development? Hire and invest locally, says Tal Dehtiar, founder of Oliberté Footwear, a premium footwear company with operations throughout Africa. Speaking to an audience of social entrepreneurs and corporate social responsibility leaders at the Global Business Coalition’s annual conference, he called for trade, not aid, with Africa. Jobs, income and opportunities are needed, not handouts. To illustrate his point, he explained how TOMS, a California-based shoe company that donates a pair of shoes in a developing country for each pair purchased, undermines local producers by dumping free product into the market.