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Indermit Gill’s Parting Thoughts as He Exits the World Bank
Outgoing World Bank chief economist talks debt and discord, while Germany slashes development aid and low- and middle-income countries search for bankable climate solutions.
- Categories
- Education, Energy, Environment, Finance, Health Care, Investing, Technology, WASH
- Region
- Global
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Analysis: Big Aid Is Over
"In Africa, governments have little to spend, and—in the short run, at least—these cuts are really going to hurt."
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Financing AI Transformation in LMICs: What Multilateral Development Banks Must Do Differently
Multilateral development banks have spent the last decade building the foundations of digital economies across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and the broadband networks, digital ID systems and other priorities they've financed are helping to make AI deployments in these markets possible. But as Kunal Walia at Dalberg Advisors explains, this funding often goes toward piloting individual use cases, expanding digital infrastructure or creating an enabling environment, rather than uniting these different components into holistic AI systems that aim to scale. He argues that multilateral development banks must rethink their approach to ensure that the infrastructure they've helped build can actually enable AI transformation.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
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Eight More Nations Pledge New Circular Economy Roadmaps in Africa
As part of this second phase of the National Roadmaps for the Circular Economy (NCER) program, Angola, Liberia, Madagascar, and Senegal will develop their own roadmaps by identifying priority sectors, aligning institutional efforts, and tailoring strategic guidelines to their local productive structures.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Analysis: The Case for Consolidating Some Donor Activities
Across the major global health institutions, there are processes and systems that either replicate each other directly or would deliver better value if combined. Identifying and consolidating them would free up resources and, in most cases, make the system work better for the countries it is meant to serve.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Global
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Mini-grids May Not Be the Answer: Why Shifts in Technology and Funding Have Changed the Energy Access Outlook in Africa
There is intense pressure to reach universal energy access by 2030, which requires a further 666 million people to be electrified, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. And according to Stewart Hicks at Bamboo Capital Partners, mini-grids are often viewed as a key part of the solution, leading to growing calls for more private sector investment in this technology. But he argues that this focus on mini-grids may be distracting from faster, more cost-effective approaches. He explains why mini-grids — despite being a good solution in some areas — have several under-reported constraints, and explores some emerging alternative electrification models that may present a more realistic path toward greater energy access in Africa.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing, Technology
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Africa50 Secures $50 Million to Boost Early-Stage Investment for Climate-Resilient Projects
Africa50 is a specialist investor in African infrastructure – developing, de-risking and delivering projects to unlock economic growth across the continent.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Cross-Border Impact Ventures Announces US $58 Million First Close of Women’s and Children’s Health Technology Fund II
CBIV invests in companies developing technologies that address conditions affecting women and children specifically, differently or disproportionately at the Series A or B stage.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Global
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