NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Over the Counter Aid

Over-the-Counter Aid From rock stars to world leaders, moving Africa out of poverty has become the feel-good cause of the day. Commissions of political bigwigs report on it, summits issue communiqu?s on it, musicians play for it. Meanwhile, business is quietly getting on with doing something about it.

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Forbes

Credit Access Facility Launched in Kenya

A Ksh1.7 billion ($22) million credit access facility has been launched in Kenya to enhance competitiveness of the micro-enterprise sector. The Enterprise Competitiveness Project, is a joint initiative of the government and the World Bank with KPMG, the Kenya Institute of Management, Delloitte and Touche and Business Partners International, among other technical partners. The chairman of t...

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The East African (link opens in a new window)

For the Poor, Help from MBAs

They’re bringing microfinancing, business development -- and eventually a consumer economy -- to many impoverished Third World areas Sue Igoe, a second-year MBA student at Columbia Business School in New York , is returning from her summer internship invigorated and ready to learn how to make a...

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BusinessWeek

ITC expects agri unit to post 20% growth

ITC Ltd expects its agri businesses division to see a 20 per cent growth in 2005-06. According to S Sivakumar , CEO, the division’s turnover stood at Rs 2,000 crore last fiscal. Story found here. The company’s supply chain project e-...

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Business Standard

Region

South Asia

Philips launches global initiative to develop solutions for ultra low-cost mobile phones

Sets out roadmap for sub-$5 hardware and software platform to drive handset costs below $20 Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) today announced a global initiative to develop ultra low-cost mobile phones to bring the benefits of the technology to an untapped global customer base of 3.3 billion people. The first product from the project will be a sub-$5 system solution ? an integrated hardware and software platform constituting all the electronics needed in a m...

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Press Release (link opens in a new window)

A Tool to Tackle Poverty

A country with overwhelming agrarian population, 80 percent of whom have no access to formal credit, the microcredit lending has come up as a slowly but steadily growing viable alternative in rural Nepal . Around 800,000 rural population in the country ? mostly representing the women and poorest section of society ? are currently benefiting from microcredit service provided by various institutions and NGOs. Around Rs 20 billion...

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Peace Journalism (link opens in a new window)

Mobile sales contribute to poverty reduction: GrupoNueva?s Amanco

Story found here. AMANCO is a Latin American leader in the production and marketing of integrated solutions for the construction, infrastructure and irrigation industries. AMANCO is part of GrupoNueva, a holding company operating throughout Latin America for more than 60 years, with more than 30 firms and factories located in 13 countries and...

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WBCSD

New medical screening beneficial to Third World

Plastronics pioneer, Plastic Logic has hit upon a new application for its technology that could vastly improve access to medical screening in the developing world. The Cambridge Science Park based company is developing a digital X-ray system, more robust, more portable and most importantly cheaper than any existing technology. Plastic Logic is predicting fast adoption in developing economies of its plastic electronic X-ray sensors. Currently two thirds of the world?s popul...

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Business Weekly