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Enabling Ecosystems: How To Boost Fintech Innovation and Financial Inclusion During and After COVID-19
Lockdowns in response to COVID-19 have rapidly accelerated digitalization worldwide, particularly in finance. But as analysts from the University of New South Wales, the University of Luxembourg, the University of Hong Kong and GIZ point out, ensuring the safe and inclusive development of digital finance is a major challenge. They explore why an ecosystem-based strategy could be the answer.
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- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Taking Cold Chains Off-Grid: How Solar Powered Cold Rooms Could Dramatically Reduce Food Waste in Sub-Saharan Africa
In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 50% of produce perishes before reaching end customers, largely due to a lack of viable cold chain solutions. Maria Knodt at Energy 4 Impact and Ruth Kimani at CLASP explore how solar-powered cold rooms can address this issue, and highlight some significant technical and business model challenges that could undermine their impact.
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- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Energy, Finance, Investing, Technology
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When the Economics Don’t Work: Realigning Capital Markets with Development Impact
Agricultural SMEs in Africa face a daunting finance gap, and as Brian Milder, founder and CEO at Aceli Africa points out, current lending approaches aren't enough to fill it. He explores Aceli's solution: taking blended finance a step further by creating a mechanism to align impact with financial sustainability for capital providers across the entire marketplace.
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- Agriculture, Finance, Investing
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The Shift Toward Partnership: How African Banks Can Gain a Competitive Advantage Through Strategic Alliances
The African banking sector is going through a technological revolution, as fintech firms, mobile money operators and other non-traditional players now provide services that had formerly been reserved for banks. Osahon Akpata at Ecobank Transnational Incorporated explores how strategic partnerships can help banks stay profitable and relevant to their customers amidst this disruption.
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- Entrepreneurship, Finance, Technology
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In Defense of Palm Oil: Why We Should Be Supporting the Industry’s Move Toward Sustainability – Not Demonizing It
After reading Jim R. Richards’ NextBillion op-ed “The Ecological Disaster of Palm Oil: Why It’s Time to Embrace Climate-Friendly Alternatives,” Robert Hii at CSPO-Watch.com felt compelled to respond. He argues that Richards' critique of the palm oil industry's ecological damage fails to recognize its impact on local economic growth and poverty reduction, and ignores its substantial moves toward sustainability.
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- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
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Gender: The Blind Spot of the COVID-19 Response in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The COVID-19 pandemic is imposing a disproportionately higher socio-economic cost on women. As Melinda Gates put it, “COVID-19 is gender-blind, but not gender-neutral.” Analysts at MSC discuss four potential types of fallout from COVID-19 that will have lasting socio-economic impacts on women in India and other low- and middle-income countries, based on multiple studies that MSC conducted between March and July of this year.
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- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Technology
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Local Solar Enterprises Are Changing Women’s Lives in Kenya: Why Won’t Investors Support Them?
In Kenya, women are battling climate change by using solar products made by innovative local companies. Yet as Sanjoy Sanyal and Chen Chen at the World Resources Institute and Deborah Mburu at IDEAS TANK point out, these companies remain under-supported by the international investing community. They highlight a few of these women and businesses – and urge investors to get off the sidelines.
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- Energy, Entrepreneurship, Investing
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Researching Outside the Box: The Benefits and Challenges of Systems Practice for Engaged Ecosystem Research
In its research on the tech innovation ecosystems in Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos, Cenfri applied a Systems Practice approach, collaborating with key players to reveal a comprehensive picture of these dynamic systems. Analysts at Cenfri and Lagos Business School explore the model, and the challenges and considerable advantages it presents for researchers and business ecosystems.
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- Entrepreneurship, Finance, Technology
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@NextBillion (link opens in a new window)
@Microsoft (link opens in a new window) and @Accenture (link opens in a new window) Expand Commitment To Support Social #Entrepreneurs (link opens in a new window): https://t.co/NMp9sYHksc (link opens in a new window)… https://t.co/MJxTHq8Glk (link opens in a new window) -
@NextBillion (link opens in a new window)
Press Release Via @RockefellerFdn (link opens in a new window): The Rockefeller Foundation Commits USD1 Billion To Catalyze a Green Recovery Fro… https://t.co/UTW1DwB0ln (link opens in a new window) -
@NextBillion (link opens in a new window)
$12 trillion dollars; the fiscal measure governments have taken around the world in response to #COVID19 (link opens in a new window)… https://t.co/Bao1Mfa8xQ (link opens in a new window)