NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Booting Up Tanzania With Help From Google

When Joshua Stern, a graduate of Stanford with a degree in computer science, served in the Peace Corps in Tanzania from 2006 to 2007, one thing soon became clear. "The major takeaway there," he tells Fast Company , "was that the best development work being done was being done by these local groups, community-based organizations." The small groups were often the most effective--yet they had no web presence, no effective way to communicate with other small NGOs or to raise f...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Technology

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Why Africa Needs an Agricultural Revolution

Africa’s peasants are migrating to the cities in huge numbers because it is becoming increasingly difficult to survive on their farms. Farmers are trapped into using inefficient technologies; average cereal yields have barely increased in 40 years and farm sizes are shrinking. Although Africans are leaving the farm, far too few are finding productive jobs in the cities. Most are getting poorer, the cost of safety-net programmes is escalating and Africa’s dependence on concession...

Source

Guardian.co.uk (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Web Inventor Seeks Voice-Enabled Internet in Africa

Tim Berners-Lee is best known as the father of the World Wide Web, but his latest side-project in Senegal and Mali--the World Wide Web Foundation’s VOICES project --aims to give youth and families without typical computing abilities a way to access the Internet with voice-enabled apps. "VOICE...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

After Sudan’s Referendum: A Former “Lost Boy” Turns Entrepreneur

On January 9th, Southern Sudanese voted on whether to become a separate, independent nation. While the results of that vote are still up in the air (though early indications reveal a majority voted for secession from the North ), one fearless entrepreneur, Nico Ajak Bior, already has his sights se...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

The Central Bank of Nigeria to Establish MFI Fund

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it will establish a microfinance development fund to promote accessibility to financial services for low income earners, just as it is planning a review of the 2005 Microfinance Policy. Kingsley Moghalu, the deputy governor, financial system stability, said this yesterday at the opening of the 5th Annual Microfinance Conference and Entrepreneurship Awards, adding that the policy review would be announced soon. Mr. Moghalu said the policy is c...

Source

Next (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Majority of Microfinance Beneficiaries are Women

AMMAN - Vast majority of loans for micro projects in Jordan were extended to female entrepreneurs over the past few years, a recent study showed Sunday. According to the Arab Microfinance Regional Report, launched yesterday, women borrowers for micro projects represented over 70 per cent of total people who had access to micro credit facilities. Experts from lending institutions expected the trend of funding schemes run mainly by women to continue in the coming years. During...

Source

Zawya (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Uncategorized

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Infographic: A New Gold Rush in Africa

While Africa’s resource wealth continues to lure the bulk of foreign investment, the rise of a new consumer class is beginning to shift the balance. See country-by-country data on foreign investment, GDP and more. ...

Source

The Wall Street Journal (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Acumen Fund Co-Invests $2.2 Million in Ugandan Cotton Ginnery

The New York-based Acumen Fund --a non-profit investment firm that seeks social and financial returns while helping reduce global poverty--is now in the East African country of Uganda. The Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC) will receive $2.2 million from a co-investment between Acumen Fund and Root Capital, with the goal of improving the company’s organic cotton output and helping civil war refugees in...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa