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The Ben & Jerry of Africa: A Transformation That’s Coming Sooner Than You Think
In the last three decades, China has pulled a half billion people out of poverty, and India has pulled another half billion. It won’t be long before Africa does the same, says serial entrepreneur Luni Libes. And when it does, those 500 million new middle class consumers will want the comforts that come with a decent income – including treats like ice cream. Libes explores what this coming transformation will mean for Africa's next generation of entrepreneurs.
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- Uncategorized
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For Solar Irrigation to Grow, the Pump Needs to be Innovative – So Does the Warranty
Helen Davies at Futurepump writes that the startup has developed a cost-effective, solar-based pump to irrigate crops that is simple to use and maintain, and designed specifically with small rural farms in mind. The firm has already sold 4,000 units and is distributing in 11 African and Asian countries. But beyond the technology, an equally important innovation is the company's five-year warranty on the product, which Davies says is an industry first. She makes the case that solar device makers operating in low-income markets need to stand behind their products with warrantees and service, if customers are going to trust the technology and the manufacturers.
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- Agriculture, Energy, Technology
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Maximizing Technology’s Social Impact: 10th ICT4D Conference Coming May 8-10
The 10th ICT4D Conference is the largest event of its kind in the global development sector. This year's event, happening May 8-10 in Lusaka, Zambia, aims to map out the path for technology to make the maximum impact on improving humanitarian relief and development work, bringing together over 600 ICT experts, program managers and senior executives from 80 countries. NextBillion is a media partner of the event, and our readers can get a discount on registration.
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- Technology
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Is Universal Financial Access Still Possible?
The most recent Global Findex survey shows 515 million adults have opened bank accounts since 2014. While that's good progress, Daniel Monehin, who heads Financial Inclusion for Mastercard, points out that owning an account is just the first step towards financial inclusion - the real value comes with being able to use it in a safe and convenient way. That's why universal financial access must go hand-in-hand with efforts to drive usage, writes Monehin, who urges the sector to focus on people, products and partnerships.
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- Finance, Technology
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A Test Case for Digital Leap-Frogging: What the Financial Inclusion Community Can Learn from Vietnam
With its rapid economic expansion, large unbanked population, high mobile penetration and progressive regulations, Vietnam has the potential to leap-frog over brick-and-mortar banking and arrive directly at the forefront of digital finance. Krishna Thacker of MetLife Foundation in Asia profiles an emerging innovator in the country's mobile payments space, and explores lessons learned in driving the uptake of digital financial services.
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- Finance, Technology
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Launching a Career in the Social Sector: Three Tips to Consider
The trend of mid-career professionals leaving unsatisfying careers to enter the social impact space reflects a broader interest in the wider field. But starting a new career is not that simple and entering the social sector can be particularly challenging. Proper planning can help career changers avoid winding up in another unsuitable field. Annie Chen of mission-led organization TribesforGOOD offers three tips to keep in mind before you make the leap.
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- Education, Social Enterprise
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Portable, Reliable and Safe: Billions Need Anaesthesia – Partnerships Can Deliver It
When global crises rivet the world’s attention to a conflict or a disaster-struck region, people take notice and respond. But they tend to ignore the fact that 5 billion of the 7 billion people in the world lack access to basic surgery – and the safe anesthesia care necessary to facilitate it. Andrea Charters of Diamedica talks about the life-saving work doctors are able to perform using the company’s portable anesthesia machine – and the potential to cure the everyday disaster of inequality in global health care.
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- Health Care, Technology
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Digitizing the Base of the Pyramid: The Impact of Bringing Digital Finance to Last-Mile Farmers
Only 5 percent of Rwanda’s dairy farmers have access to credit, due in part to their lack of proof of income and inability to build a financial history. That’s why N-Frnds, a cloud-based software platform, partnered with the Rwandan government to digitize the milk collection process. Alyssa Mesich of N-Frnds recounts how the partnership has impacted milk production and boosted financial inclusion – results that suggest the vast potential impact of digitizing value chain-based financial services for last-mile farmers globally.
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- Agriculture, Finance, Technology
