NextBillion - A WDI Publication

The writer is Senior Research Associate, Centre for Civil Society

Cell phones are every where, even our maid has one.? These words were to reassure me that the gadgets I was leaving behind in the US were available in India. The most illuminating word was ?even? ? a qualifier that embodies the discrimination inherent in our perception those ?deserving? of high-technology. This discrimination of perception limits entrepreneurial imagination and represents the barrier that must be crossed to tap the social and economic promise of commerce at the ?Bottom of the p...

Source

Business Standard (link opens in a new window)

In mismanaged countries a way must be found to change the basic system. Many multinationals have done just this, as a matter of course, while at the same time making the profits upon which their survival depends. Their initiatives not only provide jobs and raise incomes; they also improve education and give individuals motivation to pursue it. Education, after all, requires more than just buildings, teachers and texts. The world?s multinational corporations ? 63,000 of them at ...

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Daily Times (link opens in a new window)

Ecotourism: Greedy Lover Or Savior?

Part I Ecotourism is a lofty concept-effective zoning and land use planning, responsible stewardship of the environment, a strong, regulated tourism industry-all resulting in economic benefits flowing to local communities. There are, arguably, tens of thousands of articles, funded by NGO’s, private institutions, and think tanks on the topic of tourism in Africa. Report after report on sustainable development in the third world argues incessantly about the ...

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The New Times (Kigali), Georgianne Nienaber (link opens in a new window)

The World; Africans Find a Refuge In Cast-Off ’Big Boxes’

Michael Wines FROM her place behind the barred window of the Nonto Tuck Shop in Soweto, Constance Jwara sells lollipops and soda, salt and sugar and plates of meat and pap, an African staple made of boiled cornmeal. To her left is a dry cleaner’s. To her right, an older woman sells fruit, vegetables and a sampling of native condiments. As suburban strip malls go, it’s not unlike tha...

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New York Times (link opens in a new window)

Fair Trade program helps small farmers benefit from global markets.

Thousands of Africans can escape poverty without a penny being given to charity, industry experts were told yesterday. Surging demand for organic cotton is giving farmers in the developing world the chance to enter into fair trade arrangements with western companies. Farmers in Tanzania are supplying cotton for Abaca, an organic mattress and bed specialist based in T Croes, near Ammanford. The relationship will allow farmers who have previously battled poverty ...

Source

IC Wales (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Business & Economy: Gifts That Bridge a Gulf

The name EthioGift might not ring a bell with the majority of Ethiopians who live in this country but it sure does have some value and has a bit of popularity among those in the diaspora. It is valued by them because it is a means that enables them to connect with their family and friends back home here. What EthioGift does is to charge them online through their credit cards for the gifts that will be delivered to whomever they choose. Our gift list consists of flowers, sheep, ...

Source

The Reporter (Addis Ababa), Bethlehem Kiros (link opens in a new window)

Ghana: World Bank Supports Micro, Small And Medium Enterprises (msme) Development

The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a credit[1] of US$45 million to support the implementation of Ghana’s MSME Project which forms part of a broader poverty reduction and private sector development strategies of the country. Most businesses in Ghana fall within the category of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and with an employment capacity of close to 70% of the Ghanaian labor force. They range from farming activities, agri-businesses, light manufacturing, art a...

Source

World Bank (Washington, DC), Press Release (link opens in a new window)

USAID program focuses on local SME development.

TechnoServe on December 22 signed an agreement to run an ambitious business development programme financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The five-year Swaziland Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Programme (SWEEP) will be officially launched at an event in Mbabane next month. It will drive economic growth and job creation in the Kingdom of Swaziland by developing and supporting Swazi-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), thus creating emplo...

Source

Swazi Observer (link opens in a new window)