-
Business Joins African Effort to Cut Malaria
Excerpt: With malaria spread across southern Mozambique, executives at the international mining company Billiton expected some workers to call in sick as it began building a massive new aluminum smelter amid the cornfields here. What they did not expect was that nearly one in three employees would fall ill ? 6,600 cases in just two years. And they certainly did not expect 13 deaths, not after the company had built a medical clinic, doused the construction site with pesticides and hand...
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Banco ProCredit looks to boost loan portfolio 57% this year – Ecuador
Excerpt: Ecuadorian niche bank Banco ProCredit aims to increase its loan portfolio to US$115mn by the end of this year, up 57% on end-2005, CEO Pedro Arriola told BNamericas. The bank’s strategy focuses on strong growth in the small and microenterprises segment, a significant increase in its deposits base and development of a wide range of financial products, the executive said. The average loan extended by ProCredit is US$2,500 and its clients typically earn just US$5...
- Region
- Latin America
-
Uganda: USAID Pushes for Rural Mobile Banks
BANKING institutions have been urged to start rural mobile banking services to attract more people into the banking industry and help the country instil a savings culture; much lacking in Uganda. The service that involves making banking transactions through a combination of banking technologies such as Point of Sales Services, Automated Teller Machines, Mini-ATMs (Movable ATMs) and mobile phones does not necessarily require bankers to visit banks. (...
-
Small business growth could reduce poverty in Indonesia: World Bank
Excerpt: Small businesses, which employ millions of Indonesians, could become major engines of economic growth in this cash-strapped country and help reduce poverty, the World Bank has said. Indonesia’s 15.7 million small enterprises make up more than 90 percent of all businesses and employ up to 60 percent of the workforce, outside agriculture, but their growth is hindered by access to credit and poor infrastructure, the World Bank’s Indonesia director said in a report rel...
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Rwanda: The Village Phone Comes to Rwanda
Excerpt: The Grameen Foundation of USA, in collaboration with MTN Rwanda, is re-energising its Village Phone scheme to bring mobile telephones to rural communities where no telecom services have existed before....
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Wireless: From zero to 3G – A cellphone utopia?
Executives in the cellphone and computer industries are fond of speaking about bridging the digital divide, the gap between people with access to technology and those without. But translating the talk into action is not easy. In addition, the benefits of high-tech gadgetry for the poor often are not evident. How do you bring Internet access to remote villages in Africa? And are people’s lives going to improve once they can get online? The GSM Association, a trade group that represents...
-
India’s next test: spreading prosperity
Excerpt: Much has been written about the incredible strides India has taken since 1991, when it opened up its markets to foreign investors and slashed regulations. With 6 percent to 8 percent growth rates over the past decade, India has become a hot spot for investors, a dynamo in the outsourcing and high-tech industries, and a competitor for headlines with that other emerging economic power, China. Yet, while India has changed dramatically - with a rising consumer econom...
-
Remittances Policy That Works: The Case Of Ghana.
Abstract: In an opinion piece, Yaw Sophism discusses Ghana’s policy for remittances....
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- remittances
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.