-
Africans Fear Trend Toward Taxes on Data, Mobile Money
The telecom companies say taxes on mobile payments introduced by a string of countries hurt their revenues and threaten much-needed investment in infrastructure.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
How Do We Define ‘Farmer’?: Why Outdated Perceptions are Complicating Data-Driven Agriculture
Who qualifies as a ‘farmer’? This sounds like a simple question for any agricultural intervention, but it is fraught with complexity. Sometimes farm owners live in the city, hiring caretakers to farm their land. Other times, women do most of the actual farming, but their husbands collect the income. Even the definition of ‘smallholder’ is often ambiguous. As efforts to digitize farming data gather momentum, Bobbi Gray at Grameen Foundation explores some ways to clarify this picture – and the challenges this will involve.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
PayPal And Village Capital On Financial Inclusion’s Data-Driven Future
When venture development organization Village Capital and PayPal look at the ever-expanding troves of data out there (financial data in particular), they see a special potential. All those financial data streams, according to Village Capital’s Managing Director Allie Burns, look an awful lot like the next great tool to be enlisted in the fight to expand financial inclusion in the U.S. and around the world.
- Categories
- Finance
- Tags
- data, financial inclusion, fintech, startups
-
Viewpoint: Don’t forget people in the use of big data for development
Information from satellites, mobile phones and other sources is not a panacea for international-development problems, warns Joshua Blumenstock.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Technology
- Tags
- data, global development
-
Fighting ‘Tech Complacency’ in Social Enterprise: Why it’s Time to Embrace Blockchain
All around us, Fortune 500 firms and VCs are embracing disruptive innovation – so why aren't more social entrepreneurs following suit? Gautam Ivatury, founder and CEO of LendLedger, says the time has come for the social sector to take some risks and get out of its comfort zone – instead of simply waiting for technologies to filter down to its target beneficiaries. With blockchain, he says, social entrepreneurs "can redraw how industries work, not just create the latest in an endless series of mission-driven service providers."
- Categories
- Finance, Social Enterprise, Technology
-
Press release: BBOXX pilots internet service to expand from off-grid electricity to additional utilities
In Rwanda, BBOXX has created internet connections via Wi-Fi Hotspots in a joint venture with Axiom Networks. So far, 10 fixed hotspots, powered by BBOXX solar systems, have been installed for the pilot.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- data, rural development
-
Playing Drake While Ploughing Dirt: Tech Giants Are Bringing The Internet To Rural India, But Is Data The Price?
HuffPost India met with villagers living near Dholpur, a small town in Rajasthan, where Tata Trusts and Google India have been running a project called 'Internet Saathi' to train rural Indians to use a smartphone to access the Internet.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- data, rural development
-
Press release: ODX Assembles All-Star Cast to Bring Free Internet to Emerging Markets
“Free and fair access to the web is a fundamental human right,” said Scott Walker, co-founder of DNA Fund. “The dynamic nature of emerging markets creates unique challenges that have never confronted the developed world but also opens up opportunities for innovation and growth. We are proud to be part of the elite group of early supporters of the ODX platform, which will leverage blockchain technology to enable the delivery of free mobile internet access to underserved populations across the world.”
- Categories
- Technology
- Tags
- blockchain, data, global development
Subscribe to Our 'Business in Global Development' Newsletter!
Our new weekly LinkedIn newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with curated news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage of impact-focused business in emerging markets.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.