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The Jobtech Landscape in Africa: Assessing the Challenges and Opportunities in a Critical Sector
What really is the future of work in Africa? Michelle Hassan at BFA Global, and Chris Maclay and Bethany Hou at the Jobtech Alliance argue that it will be driven by the growing use of technology to enable, facilitate or improve people’s work opportunities, productivity and livelihoods — an emerging sector that’s collectively known as “jobtech.” They share new insights into the key players, business models, trends and opportunities across Africa's jobtech industry.
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- Technology
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The Global Digital Health Monitor: A New Resource Advances the Digital Transformation of Global Health Systems
COVID-19 catalyzed the scaling of a variety of digital health interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). But as Patricia Mechael at HealthEnabled points out, this has not translated into the sustained digital transformation of healthcare in many of these markets. As broader technological advancements create a strong enabling environment for digital health in LMICs, she explores how a new resource, the Global Digital Health Monitor, can help these countries strategically advance their digital health transformation.
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- Health Care, Investing, Technology, Telecommunications
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Unlocking Data-Driven Policymaking: A Digitalisation Programme in Rwanda Shows the Impact of Improved Storage on Agriculture Prices — And the Value of Digital Data
Transporting produce in Rwanda is difficult, and the country’s storage infrastructure is limited. To better understand these challenges and their potential solutions, Cenfri has been analysing the country’s agriculture sector as part of its efforts to support digitalisation and data-led decision-making in government. Olivia Rutayisire and Pieter Janse van Vuuren at Cenfri share insights from this work, exploring how digital data can impact government initiatives that aim to support farmers and optimise agricultural markets.
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- Agriculture, Technology
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Rethinking Farming in Small Island Developing States: Five Major Trends in Jamaican Agriculture That Can Apply to Other Emerging Economies
Though Jamaica is working to diversify production and build self-sufficiency in its agricultural sector, like much of the Caribbean region, it still imports more food and livestock than it exports. But as Varun Baker at Farm Credibly points out, the country is exploring new farming practices and technologies that can boost its agricultural output and sustainability. He shares five key trends in Jamaican agriculture that could provide a model to other emerging economies — particularly Small Island Developing States.
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- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
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Addressing the Credibility Crisis in Carbon Credits: How New Technologies — And New Data — Are Building Trust in Carbon Markets
Are carbon credits a legitimate tool to fight climate change — or are they just greenwashing? Ben Jeffreys at ATEC Global argues that, despite recent research that has called its effectiveness into question, putting a price on carbon is actually one of our most promising ways to accelerate global decarbonization. But as he points out, that doesn’t mean the criticisms of carbon credits aren't valid: He explores the challenges that are impacting carbon credits' credibility, and proposes five recommendations for building a more robust and transparent carbon market.
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- Environment, Technology
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Making a Successful Business Pivot During the Energy Transition: Three Lessons from an Auto Supplier Diversifying into Renewables
As efforts to decarbonize the world’s energy systems accelerate, many industries and companies face both new challenges and tremendous opportunity — and the automotive industry is a highly visible proving ground for this shift. Diana Páez and Dana Gorodetsky at the William Davidson Institute explore how Bosal, a global automotive supplier, is leveraging its expertise with internal combustion engine-related products to expand into the renewable energy market, and share some lessons from its evolution that can be valuable to other companies affected by the energy transition.
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- Energy, Technology, Transportation
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Avoiding the Resource Curse: Challenges — And Progress — in Harnessing ‘Green Mineral’ Wealth for the Benefit of Developing Countries
The growth of renewable energy has led to skyrocketing demand for the “green minerals” used in constructing and powering clean energy technologies. But as Leslie Tsai at the Chandler Foundation explains, despite this demand, the countries that are rich in green minerals and other natural resources are often among the poorest in the world — a paradox often called the “resource curse.” She explores how businesses, governments and other key stakeholders can ensure that these countries benefit from their natural resource wealth.
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- Energy, Technology
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How Innovation Created an Off-Grid Solar Market in Rural Bangladesh — And What Other Countries Can Learn from this Model
In the early 2000s, a small-scale World Bank pilot project in Bangladesh unexpectedly grew into the largest off-grid solar program in the world. According to Nancy Wimmer at microSOLAR, the program's success provided the rest of the world with a model for how low- and middle-income countries can develop a nationwide, rural market for decentralized solar systems driven by home-grown companies. She explores how other countries can adapt Bangladesh’s market-creating innovations to their own local environments.
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- Energy, Technology