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Trocafone raises $15 million to expand its used electronics marketplace in emerging markets
Latin America is the fourth largest smartphone market in the world, the company said, despite the fact that roughly 418 million people can’t afford to buy one, according to data from the company.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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Four Bottom-up Solutions to Strengthen Land Rights in Emerging Markets
On an estimated 70 percent of land in developing countries, people live without formal recognition of their property rights. Despite significant investment, big improvements in protecting the property rights of most citizens have not materialized. But several civil society and private sector organizations are working to address these gaps and ensure land rights for people most in need - and technology solutions are providing a blueprint. BRAC and Landesa explore four innovative approaches.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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Toilet To Tap: Solving the Global Water Crisis With Wastewater
World Toilet Day is Nov. 19, and as it focuses global attention on how to improve sanitation and fight water scarcity, one somewhat uncomfortable solution is emerging: the re-use of wastewater. Of course, not everyone agrees with the methods, and the thought of "drinking human waste" isn't palatable. But thanks to rapid technological advancement and the growing recognition that waste can be profitable, the practice could finally be overcoming the "ick" factor to become an important strategy for solving the world’s water crisis.
- Categories
- Environment, Social Enterprise, Technology, WASH
- Tags
- waste
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Digital technology can help reinvent basic education in Africa
The digital revolution currently under way in the region has led to a boom in trials using information and communication technology (ICT) in education – both in and out of the classroom.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African Economic Growth Rides on Wireless Rails
From the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, hand-held phones are letting people become their own ATMs, increasing economic activity by enabling payments for food, travel, school and business. Wireless communication is driving economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa much as the railroad did in the 19th-century U.S., accounting for almost a tenth of global mobile subscribers and a growth rate that's beating the world.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Making Tech Work: How Local Know-How Can Improve Digital Financial Inclusion Solutions in Challenging Markets
Technology can eliminate inefficiencies, collect valuable information and expand access to critical services. But technological solutions often replace indigenous, ad-hoc approaches which – though they may appear incomplete and messy – reflect the knowledge and relationships of the parties involved. Asa Nyaga at BFA explores how Farmerline, a Ghana-based tech company serving smallholders, aligned the product design of a new app with the ideas and understandings of its target users.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance, Technology
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Technology cannot solve all of Africa’s problems, but it can help with many
That tech and innovation can play a big role in making some countries richer than others is not in question. About half the differences in GDP per person between countries are due to differences in productivity.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How India Is Moving Toward a Digital-First Economy
On November 8, 2016, India’s government did something that no other government had attempted before at the same scale: It decided to remove 86% of the country’s currency notes by value from circulation. Over the months that followed, more than 1 billion people participated in a “reboot” of the country’s financial and monetary system. An active debate has since ensued as to how the transition unfolded.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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