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Kenya’s Safaricom to link its M-Pesa platform with Visa’s network
Visa and Safaricom have agreed a deal which will connect the Kenyan telecom operator's M-Pesa financial services platform with Visa's global network of merchants and cards.
- Categories
- Finance
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China and India Reportedly Have Highest Fintech Adoption Rate, but New VC Funds Mainly Focused on Revenue-Generating Fintechs
Efi Pylarinou, a Fintech and Blockchain Advisor based in Switzerland, notes that funding is “on everybodys’ mind,” which might particularly be true for early-stage startups that have not yet acquired a significant user base.
- Categories
- Finance
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The UN Says a New Computer Simulation Tool Could Boost Global Development
The United Nations is endorsing a computer simulation tool that it believes will help governments tackle the world’s biggest problems, from gender inequality to climate change.
- Categories
- Technology
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Fragile Futures for Hidden Workers When Consumers Stop Buying
Now, since the COVID-19 lockdown, the home-based workers in this Meerut community are completely without income. Customers aren’t buying beaded jewelry and garments. Orders have stopped, while finished products sit in warehouses across India, Europe, and the United States.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- supply chains
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WHO Foundation to Broaden Funding Base for Global Health Investment
The WHO Foundation, which is legally separate from the UN health agency, will facilitate contributions from the public, individual major donors and corporate partners.
It will make grants that support WHO's efforts to address pressing global health challenges, which include extending universal health coverage to one billion people.- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care
- Tags
- nonprofits
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Meet the Agritech Entrepreneurs Who Just Raised $6 Million to Help Farmers in Kenya Grow Their Business
Our research Powering Youth Employment through the Mobile Industry in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2025 found that as of 2018, the mobile industry directly employed 1.2 million youth (three out of five people) in the informal sector, in roles predominantly associated with distribution (e.g. airtime resellers). We also estimated that by 2025, total direct employment in the sector will grow by 26%, accounting for 2.4 million jobs, 500,000 of which will be new jobs.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- agtech, microfinance
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Roadmap for the Mobile Industry
COVID-19 has significant impact on SSA, particularly on its informal sector. The mobile industry has never been more relevant and holds the potential to be transformative in its social impact. The industry was on track for growth and well placed as a driver of youth employment in SSA. Whilst by no means unaffected, there are reasons to believe that the industry will continue to be a driver of youth employment on the sub-continent. The doom and gloom of COVID-19 does not have to be all-encompassing and we must look towards the future and harness the opportunities it may hold.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- employment
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The Path to the COVID Recovery Is Paved With Renewable Energy
Harish Hande is an engineer and social entrepreneur working with underserved communities. He is the co-founder of SELCO whose interventions have impacted more than 800,000 poor households across 6 Indian states. We caught up with him a couple of weeks ago to reflect on the relevance of sustainable energy during the Covid pandemic and after.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- MSMEs, renewable energy
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