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Spark+ Africa Fund Raises Over $40 Million in a First Close to Invest in Clean and Modern Cooking Solutions in Africa
Spark+ Africa Fund (“Spark+”) launched in partnership with 12 development finance institutions, foundations, family offices, and pension funds as the world’s first impact fund financing clean and modern cooking solutions in developing markets.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: UAE and IRENA Launch New Initiative to Provide Communities With Access to Energy for Clean Cooking
Beyond Food partnership launched by IRENA and UAE in collaboration with NAMA to provide clean cooking energy and technologies to communities and households.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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IPCC Adaptation Report ‘a Damning Indictment of Failed Global Leadership on Climate’
“This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction,” said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Global
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Press Release: DFC Approves 11 Values-Based Investments Totaling Nearly $364 Million to Address Climate Change, Promote Gender Equity, and Improve Healthcare throughout the Developing World
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Board of Directors has approved $245 million in investments this quarter that address the climate crisis through innovation and climate-smart urban infrastructure and elevate businesses with loans and professional business management practices throughout Africa.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Moving the Clean Cookstoves Sector Forward: Six Principles for Investors
Around 3 billion people rely on solid fuels for their daily cooking needs, causing adverse health, environmental and socioeconomic impacts – especially among women. Clean cookstoves promise a solution to these issues, but according to Mitzi Perez Padilla at FMO and Fabrizio Valenti at KSAR & Associates, the sector's effectiveness depends highly on how investment decisions are made. They share insights from a recent study that identifies six principles investors should follow to ensure that clean cookstove investments yield the greatest possible impact.
- Categories
- Energy, Impact Assessment, Investing
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Debunking Myths on the Impact and Income of Women Sales Forces: New Data Reveals Ways to Maximize Their Potential
The use of female sales agents to sell health-related products is sometimes seen as a panacea that can boost both healthcare access and women’s income empowerment. But little research has been done to prove or disprove these beliefs. Lucie Klarsfeld McGrath and Louise Berthault at Hystra discuss a new report analyzing data from 21 organizations that rely principally on women direct sales forces to sell health-related products. Their analysis sheds light on the role and impact that women sales forces can have, and suggests ways to maximize their impact.
- Categories
- Health Care
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Analysis: Favours the Prepared: Fixing the COVID-19 Waste Problem To Build Back Better and Tackle Climate Change
COVID-19 showed that the world was unprepared to cope with a surge in medical waste — but it also presents an opportunity to fix a problem that has huge implications for mitigating climate change, fighting pollution, and creating resilient health systems.
- Categories
- WASH
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- climate health, waste
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Leveraging Big Data to Improve Mental Health After COVID-19: An Innovative Research Method Reveals Unmet Needs and Untapped Opportunities in Nigeria
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a marked impact on the state of global mental health, particularly in emerging regions like Africa. According to Ravi Sreenath and Amy Nguyen at Ripple Research, this has generated a significant need – and a market opportunity – for digital health tools, as well as a need for better data. They assess the state of mental health in Nigeria, analyzing data from millions of conversations across news sites, blogs and social media platforms – and explore how this data reveals new opportunities for social enterprises and investors.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care, Social Enterprise, Technology
- Tags
- climate health, COVID-19, data
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