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

On 11th March 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic. At time of writing, there are more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives. It is likely that many more countries will be affected, with particularly devastating impacts for countries with weak health systems, and for low-income populations across all countries. There is a mixed picture in terms of country and company readiness and multiple sources of information, some of which are not credible and adding to public confusion.

We are launching an urgent process across businesses to accelerate local action and support real-time best-practice learning across markets. The work will be led by Myriam Sidibe, renowned handwashing expert. The work will be anchored around the National Business Compact on COVID-19, a national business coalition campaign in Kenya.

The global knowledge-sharing process is being coordinated by Business Fights Poverty, in partnership with a growing coalition of business networks, including Business Partners for Sustainable Development (BPSD), an initiative of the United States Council for International Business, led by internationally-renowned public health expert, Scott Ratzan MD.

To find out more or how you can get involved, click here.