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When Economies Turn Down, Entrepreneurs Turn Up: How COVID-19 Has Spurred Nigerian Businesses to Build for an Inclusive Future
The COVID-19 crisis has devastated lives and livelihoods around the world. But as Eloho Omame at Endeavor points out, it has also re-shaped economies in more positive ways, revealing businesses' weak spots, areas for improvement and inefficient processes. She explores the impact this is having on Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, where entrepreneurs have built or adapted business models that have saved lives, created jobs, and contributed to economic prosperity and the digitization of the economy.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship
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Recovery 2021: Introducing NextBillion’s New COVID-19 Series
For over a year, COVID-19 and its economic fallout have been inescapable facts of life, taking a particularly heavy toll on vulnerable communities – and the businesses that serve them. Now, with a vaccine promising to gradually bring an end to this historic crisis, we anticipate that the conversation around the pandemic will evolve, as impact-focused businesses and development organizations move to a longer-term effort to “build back better.” To highlight these discussions, NextBillion is expanding upon our COVID-19 coverage through a new special series called “Recovery 2021.”
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship
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Too Risky Not to Invest: Why Funding Latin America’s Healthcare Sector Should Be a Key Impact Investing Priority
Healthcare enterprises across Latin America are demonstrating both their impact in improving health outcomes, and their value as high-return investments. But as Andrea Bare at ThinkWell and Anna De La Cruz at ADLC Consulting point out, impact investors tend to view these organizations as too risky to finance. They explain why remaining on the sidelines represents another kind of risk: the risk of missing out on a sector full of profitable, impactful investment opportunities – particularly in women’s health.
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- Entrepreneurship, Health Care, Investing
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Embedding Gender Equity Into Companies’ DNA: An Investor Consortium Builds the Evidence Base for Gender Lens Investing
As gender lens investing moves into the mainstream, investors and enterprises need support in getting buy-in for this approach – and in implementing it effectively. To that end, the Gender-Smart Enterprise Assistance Research Coalition is working to build the evidence base for investing with a gender lens, with support from the Performance Measurement and Improvement team at the William Davidson Institute. NextBillion spoke with Lisa Willems at AlphaMundi and Rebecca Fries at Value for Women about the momentum that’s driving gender lens investing, the challenges it faces and the work the new consortium is doing.
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- Investing, NextBillion Originals
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Big Data and AI in Africa: Why the Future of the Continent Is Artificially Intelligent and Digitally Enabled
Life would be easier for the average African if technology were utilized to its fullest potential. According to Jasmine Nnenne Mbadugha at the London School of Economics and Political Science, the continent's digital potential can be seen particularly at the intersection of big data and artificial intelligence. She explores how Africa can leverage these two emerging technologies to support economic development and play a role in the global digital revolution – and how it can overcome some key challenges it will face in the process.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
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When ‘Hibernation’ Is Not an Option: How a Small Business in India Fought to Stay Alive During the Pandemic
Soon after the COVID-19 lockdown started, Lal10 – a social enterprise that connects India’s indigenous artisans to formal markets – faced cratering demand for its standard products, like saris and other textiles. As Sachi Shenoy at Upaya Social Ventures explains, in order to survive, the company essentially had to start over. She explores how Lal10 managed to quickly pivot to meet the intense demand for personal protective equipment, while continuing to connect its artisans to dignified work – and building a more efficient company in the process.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship
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Preparing for Life After COVID-19: How India’s Healthcare System Can Better Respond to Future Shocks
India’s public healthcare system was tested by the onset of COVID-19. Now that a vaccine promises to bring the end phase of the pandemic (gradually) into sight, Puneet Khanduja and Mitul Thapliyal at MicroSave (MSC) say it’s time to make the system more robust, to better absorb such shocks in the future. They share research that MSC conducted with low-income households in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar, and make recommendations to improve the healthcare system's preparedness for the next crisis.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care
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When It Comes to K-12 Education, Where Are the Impact Investors?
For decades, reports have shown how schools in America are lagging behind their counterparts in other countries in key areas – particularly in lower-income communities. But though more funding could help schools achieve better results, impact investors have yet to contribute meaningfully to the funding of K-12 education systems. Mark Medema at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools argues that the private sector, led by impact investors, can and must play a bigger role.
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