NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Afrilabs Links Entrepreneurs, Startups, Tech Communities in Africa

Erik Hersman, director of operations at the non-profit Ushahidi, today announced the launch of a network of startup incubators and tech communities throughout Africa. Dubbing the new ven...

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Nestle to Invest $1 Bln in Africa Over Next 2 Years

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nestle, the world’s biggest food group, said on Thursday it would invest 1 billion Swiss francs expanding capacity in Africa over the next two years. Chief Executive Paul Bulcke made the comments at the opening of a 12 billion naira factory to produce Maggi seasoning cubes in the southwestern state of Ogun in Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa’s second-biggest economy. "This latest investment is proof of our commitment to Africa in which we will invest 1 billion...

Source

Reuters Africa (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

’Doing Good’ with the Profits

Jeffrey Church and Mike Stone started a bottled-water business not to get rich, but to do good. The two San Diego businessmen, who met at Harvard Business School , established Nika Water after Church took his family on a working vacation to Africa to build schools and water systems. "My family and I liked w...

Source

Sign On San Diego (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Education

72,000 More Indian Villages to Get Banking Services by 2012

(IANS) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked all the commercial banks to take banking services, in any form, to 72,000 uncovered villages in India by 2012, a top bank official said here Sunday. ’Keeping with the RBI directives, the banks have been engaging retired bank officials, locals and societies as business correspondents (BC) and setting up branches to extend the banking services to unbanked rural and remote areas having population of 2,000,’ United Bank of I...

Source

IANS (link opens in a new window)

Hopes and Fears on EU?s Africa Aid

By Elena L. Pasquini Mohamed Ibn Chambas has mixed feelings about the emerging collaboration of China and Europe to help Africa meet the Millennium Development Goals. While he welcomes such a partn...

Source

Devex News (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Wharton School, WWB Focus on Innovation in Microfinance

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 3, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Women’s World Banking (WWB) Center for Microfinance Leadership, and the ...

Source

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (link opens in a new window)

Social Entrepreneurship and the Common Brand

As GOOD magazine reported yesterday, Alex Bogusky and John Bielenberg, have launched a new social entrepreneurship platform called COMMON that is part incubator and part creative community that enables collabor...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Microfinance Banking and Finance Institute Launched in Kabul

Afghanistan Institute of Banking and Finance (AIBF), the first institute to provide traditional banking and microfinance knowledge and understanding to the Afghan community was recently launched in Kabul, said a report released by MIFSA. AIBF was established to build a strong knowledge base of the industry in Afghanistan. It works in close collaboration with Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), the Afghanistan Banking Association (ABA), and the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghani...

Source

Microfinance Focus (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia