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Facebook plans to lay almost 500 miles of fiber cable in Africa for better wireless internet
Facebook has a new plan to get more of Africa online: Fiber optic cables. The social giant on Monday announced plans to lay nearly 500 miles of fiber cable in Uganda by the end of the year, infrastructure that Facebook believes will provide internet access for more than three million people.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Microloan approvals done in 7 minutes, not 7 days in India
Bharat Financial Inclusion, India's second-largest microfinance company, has linked its credit systems to the national database to speed up cheaper financing to those at the margins.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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PesaLink is no threat to M-Pesa, says Safaricom
The planned launch of interbank mobile money transfer system next month by commercial banks will not slow down revenues from Safaricom's M-Pesa, chief executive Bob Collymore has said. He says a significant number of close to 25 million customers on its money-minting machine, M-Pesa, will not be swayed by PesaLink because they do not hold conventional bank accounts.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Impact businesses in India are attracting investments with healthy returns
Businesses that tap a large number of customers in the lower-income bracket and are established with a clear social objective are increasingly becoming an attractive asset class in India, as they are globally. In India, while rural micro-credit, and then urban microfinance, saw growth and success over the last two decades, these businesses are now coming to the fore in a growing number of verticals and catching serious investor interest.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Calls from rivals for higher charges by Safaricom rejected
Proposals by Airtel and Telkom Kenya that could have seen Safaricom forced to charge its customers higher rates than its rival telecommunications providers have been rejected by consultants hired to assess competition in the sector.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Five Investments Countries Can Make for Healthier People and Economies
There is a crisis in our global health workforce. A looming shortage of 18 million skilled workers stands between us and the promise of universal health coverage—and the economies it could help stimulate.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Tags
- public health
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Somalia is a leader in mobile money but still wants to print its first cash notes in 25 years
The collapse of the Somali government in 1991 saw the rise of unique political, economic and social outfits, all clambering to fill the void of government institutions. After a few years of relative stability and successful elections, Somalia’s new government hopes to reverse all that. Buoyed by donors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the country now wants to resume printing banknotes this year.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Does Social Activism Divert Funds From Investments To Philanthropies?
Throughout the last three months, as activists resisted policy changes on immigration, trade and the environment, donations to the American Civil Liberties Union, the Sierra Club and other nonprofits reportedly spiked. But the trend wasn't entirely unexpected.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- philanthropy
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