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The Trade-offs in African Energy Access are Real: Why Electrification Efforts Must Prioritise Industrial Use over Household Connections
In the face of stagnating progress, a debate has emerged about whether energy access efforts in Africa should prioritize household or industrial and commercial electrification. Taiwo Odugbemi, a power sector regulation specialist and economist, pushes back on the argument that household access should take precedence over industrial uses — and the assertion that Africa can pursue both goals simultaneously. He explains why maintaining a dual focus may not be realistic, given the continent’s grid limitations and constrained public resources, and argues that African electricity policies must evolve to prioritize productive use, particularly in industrial and agro-processing hubs.
- Categories
- Energy
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Analysis: Who Pays for Dignity? Rethinking India’s Waste Economy
Despite the essential role that waste workers perform in any functioning city, they are often severely underpaid and denied the dignity, security, and recognition they deserve.
- Categories
- WASH
- Region
- Global
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What Drives Corporate Philanthropy in Asia: Exploring the Region’s Unique Approach to Giving
As Asian wealth has surged in recent decades, so has the region’s corporate philanthropy. According to Gwendolyn Lim and Denise Chew at the Bridgespan Group, the 20 top Asian corporate funders alone commit an average of $3.7 billion annually to social and environmental causes. They explore the factors that are driving this trend — from Asian business culture to government CSR policies — and discuss three widely used approaches to corporate giving in Asia, as highlighted in a recent Bridgespan report.
- Categories
- Investing
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Press Release: Rockefeller Foundation Commits an Additional US $10 Million to Accelerate Electricity Connections Across Africa by 2030
The Rockefeller Foundation is collaborating with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet to fast-track electrification efforts in at least 15 African countries.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Fasanara and IFC Launch New Strategy to Expand Access to Finance for MSMEs in Emerging Markets
The initiative will channel more affordable, flexible financing to MSMEs by supporting fintech lenders that serve these businesses.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Global
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African Development Bank Approves €6.5 Million Investment in Saviu II to Back Francophone African Tech Start-Ups
The decision, taken at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, aims to help young tech start-ups bridge a persistent funding gap and scale from seed through their first institutional fundraising rounds, particularly in French-speaking West and Central African countries.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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World Bank Group’s IFC Invests in Malaysia’s Zetrix AI to Improve Access to Digital Public Infrastructure Services
IFC’s 155.6 million Malaysian Ringgit ($40 million) investment will support the development and rollout of new, blockchain-based DPI applications and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled products that aim to improve digital inclusion, access to services, and economic efficiency in Malaysia and the broader ASEAN region.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Airtel Africa Eyes Starlink, IPO, and Crypto Push
If Airtel successfully blends satellite coverage, mobile money scale, and eventually crypto rails, it could reshape competition not just in Kenya, but across its entire African footprint.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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