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Provides Lending to 1.5 Million Poor Annually
BOSTON, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCION International today announced that the active loan portfolio managed by its microfinance partners rose above $1 billion in 2005, for the first time in ACCION’s history.? In just over three years, ACCION has more than doubled its active loan portfolio and doubled the number of poor entrepreneurs served each year. ACCION has made significant strides in addressing world poverty, reflected Maria Otero, ACCION International president a...
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We Need Ideas From Immigrant Returnees, Not Petty Handouts
This is the time of year when throngs of people converge at airports to welcome back relatives working mostly in Europe and north America. They cast hopeful glances at the luggage of their immigrant sons and daughters. You can detect their faces falling when they notice that the bags are not many and big enough to be carrying presents. African immigrants send back to the continent billions of dollars every year, and in all but a handful of countries, they do more for the people than ...
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Poverty Growing in Africa, Falls in Asia
In many developing economies, the problem is mainly lack of decent and productive job opportunities rather than outright unemployment. The report further notes that people are working long hours under hard conditions for little income because the only alternative is joblessness. Poverty is growing in Africa and Latin America, while it is declining in Asia and Eastern Europe, states a new report released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). In Africa...
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The Milkman of Talavera
GUYITO, the Inquirer’s carabao mascot, would be happy to know that his fellow ruminants have transformed the town of Talavera in Nueva Ecija into a land flowing with milk and milk products. Thanks to the dream and the daring of entrepreneur Danilo V. Fausto, carabao milk is now making a healthy comeback and finding a niche in the market. Another thing to moo about is fresh milk from cows, produced by small farmers’ cooperatives, is also finding its way into caf? ...
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Low-Cost Insurance Products Get the Nod
Products short-term insurers will offer include so-called shack insurance, covering structures and contents for about R15 a month, and cellphone insurance from about R10 a month. Life companies will offer insurance products that will be more flexible on payments, so that policies do not automatically lapse if payments are missed. THE insurance and collective investments industry will be able to proceed with low-cost Mzansi-style products in the new year,...
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Abuja Gets N670m First Wireless Internet Network
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mallam Ahmed Nasir el-Rufai last weekend in Abuja launched the first citywide wireless Internet Network project in Nigeria termed CT Access in conjunction with Suburban Broadband Limited. The project is valued at N670 million. Speaking at the event, El-Rufai who noted the role of technology in modern development said that Suburban would invest an estimated N670million ($5m) in the project representing 80 per cent of the...
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Locally Raised Solutions: Brazilian small farms cater to a budding organic market
By Lucy Conger S mall family farms are an endangered species in Brazil, as in many countries of the developing world. Saving farmers from the threat of extinction?or migration to cities where their skills cannot be used and they lose their connection to the land?is the mission of ARCO Contestado, a regional marketing agency based in Mafra, a city of about 50,000 residents and the center of a micro-region of a dozen smaller towns in the sta...
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Millions to Benefit From Intervet Project in India
Akzo Nobel’s animal healthcare business, Intervet, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to exclusively supply veterinary products for a special project in India which could benefit more than two million rural families. (CSRwire) Arnhem, the Netherlands ? Akzo Nobel’s animal healthcare business, Intervet, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to exclusively supply veterinary products for a special project in India which could benefit more than two million rural families...
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