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Ghana Launches Free High School Education
Ghana introduced free compulsory education at the primary and junior high school levels in 1995 as required by the constitution, but implementation took time. It wasn't until 2014 that the World Bank said Ghana had achieved near-universal access at the primary level.
- Categories
- Education
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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OPIC Commits $20 Million Loan for WaterEquity’s Social Impact Investment Fund
Press release: WaterEquity, an innovation of Water.org, today announced it has received a commitment for a $20 million loan from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. OPIC, a self-sustaining U.S. government agency that helps American businesses invest in emerging markets, is supporting WaterEquity’s WaterCredit Investment Fund 3 (WCIF3), a $50 million social impact investment Fund that will invest in enterprises serving water and sanitation needs among the world’s poor.
- Categories
- Environment, Impact Assessment
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- impact investing
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Australia Launches its First Live Impact Investing Database
Investors looking to support businesses making a social impact have been bolstered by the launch of a live impact investing database, which looks to connect investors and investees in this growing market.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing
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Africa a guinea pig for the feasibility of digital payment systems
The term “leapfrog” is popular among Africa tech analysts, who point to how the continent embraced mobile phones at a time when few African countries had a properly developed fixed-line network.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Chilean startup ComparaOnline raises $14 million for its financial education tools for Latin America
The company, now backed by private equity firm Bamboo Capital Partners and the International Finance Corp., the investment arm of the World Bank Group, pitches financial educational tools to consumers in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia.
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- fintech, venture capital
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Google goes big in Asia with mobile payment app for hundreds of millions of people
"Tez" which means fast in Hindi, lets users link up their bank accounts to their phones, allowing them to use the app to pay merchants in stores, and instantly transfer money to friends.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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How Blockchain Could Transform The Way International Aid Is Distributed
A new digital-payment platform from the United Nations’ World Food Programme is bringing efficiency and stability to refugee camps.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
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Is India’s Demonetization a Failure?
Data released by the Reserve Bank of India indicates that demonetization has failed to flush out black money.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- failure
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