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The Response and Vision Fund (RVF) Announced the Second Slate of Grants
This latest round of investments focuses on climate, gender, and debt justice, and aims to catalyze reforms grounded in preserving the rights and power of workers and communities while strengthening accountability and addressing underlying inequities in the financial system.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Social Enterprise
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AFEX Raises $50 Million for Agri-SMEs, Africa’s First Warehouse Receipt Backed Commercial Paper
AFEX Commodities Exchange Limited (AFEX), Nigeria’s leading private commodities exchange company, has announced the first Warehouse Receipt Backed Commercial Paper in Africa, with tech-enabled operations and a 24-hour fast cash turnaround for borrowers.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Social Enterprises as Job Creators: Four Ways the Sector Can Boost Employment Opportunities in Africa
By 2030, there will be about 1 billion people in Africa of working age – an increase of approximately 40% since 2018. This means more jobs will urgently be needed to improve living conditions, reduce unemployment and create sustainable economic growth in the region. Carola Schwank at Siemens Stiftung argues that impact-oriented entrepreneurs can play a key role in creating these jobs – but they need backing to maximize their untapped potential. She shares four key recommendations on how to support social enterprise job growth in Africa, taken from a recent report.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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SEED Awards 2021
Applications are now open until March 22 for SEED Awards 2021, for innovative small and growing businesses delivering environmental, social and economic impacts.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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Press Release: DFC and Shell Foundation Launch New Collaboration to Accelerate Access to Renewable Energy and Gender Inclusion in Low-Income Communities in Africa and Asia
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Shell Foundation (the UK-registered charity) today announced a new collaboration to bring affordable renewable energy to more than 5 million people in low-income areas of Africa and Asia by 2025.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- renewable energy, scale
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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, Social Enterprise
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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.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- impact investing
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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, Social Enterprise
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