NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Results

• News
  Europe Wants Tech to Be Force for Good. Who Cares?

  Climate change, social media topped the DLD conference agenda, but the tech is controlled by the U.S. and China.

• News
  Viewpoint: China’s Embrace of ESG Is Threat to Real Sustainable Investing

  Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing standards—also called “sustainable investing” and “socially responsible investing”—have taken on greater importance in the investment community in recent years. Such investing has also reached the shores of China. With this, ESG investing reaches an inflection point. Will the standards have real bite, effecting change at companies, or will they become an irrelevant article for portfolio managers to simply “check the box” and move on?

• Blog Post
  Optimism, Confusion and Soul-Searching: The Financial Inclusion Compass 2019 Reveals a Sector at an Inflection Point

  It's not your imagination: Financial inclusion is getting more complex. As Sam Mendelson at e-MFP points out, the sector expands in depth and breadth each year – from new products and players to increased expectations of impact. To cut through the confusion, e-MFP publishes The Financial Inclusion Compass, a report based on a broad survey of stakeholders, who share their views on the sector’s present and future. He discusses some highlights from the 2019 report.

• News
  Press Release: New Investments and Research Indicate Multi-Trillion Dollar Market for Climate Restoration Through Carbon-Capture

  "Together, we must rapidly deploy natural and technological solutions to remove gigatons of carbon dioxide from our air, restore ocean ecosystems, and preserve Arctic ice, while dramatically reducing emissions and adapting to climate change impacts," said Dr. Khagram. "Climate restoration is the critical third pillar of climate action alongside climate mitigation and adaptation."

• Blog Post
  The Hidden Value of Untapped Ideas: Three Development Sector Approaches that Deserve a Second Look

  The development challenges facing African countries – from income inequality to crippling infrastructure gaps – are huge and growing. But while tackling these issues will require innovative responses, “innovative” may not necessarily mean “new.” Aubrey Hruby at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center explores three ideas that the development sector discarded – or never considered in the first place – which may hold the key to solving some of Africa’s biggest challenges.

• News
  Press Release: Global Digital Health Index Expands Platform for Multilingual Access

  The Global Digital Health Index (GDHI) — an interactive digital resource that tracks, monitors, and evaluates the use of digital technology for health across countries — is now available in 4 additional languages: Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. 

• Blog Post
  Women Feeding Africa: Innovative Business Solutions to Close the Gender Gap in Agricultural Productivity

  Women quite literally feed sub-Saharan Africa: They make up 50% of its agricultural labor force and contribute 60-80% of its food. Yet they also face unique constraints that limit their productivity and reduce their returns. What would happen if women could access the same productivity resources as men? Agnes Makena and Racheal Wangari at Intellecap explore that question, highlighting enterprises and initiatives with innovative solutions to support Africa’s female farmers.
  

• News
  Nigeria Drops $2B MTN Tax Demand

  The operator had vowed to fight the demand in court with the case due to begin on 30 January, having already been postponed a number of times. Legal action has now been called-off completely.