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Giz and Orange Launch an Orange Digital Center in Ethiopia, the 3rd in the Africa and Middle East Region, to Train Young People in Digital Technology and Boost Their Employability
Occupying a space of 500m2, it is the first center in East Africa that will operate as a strategic network, allowing experiences and expertise to be shared between countries and offering a simple and inclusive approach to strengthen the employability of young people, to encourage innovative entrepreneurship and to promote the local digital ecosystem.
- Categories
- Education
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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AV Ventures Invests in AgroCenta, Supporting Digital and Financial Inclusion of Ghanaian Smallholder Farmers
AV Ventures, ACDI/VOCA’s impact investing subsidiary, recently completed its investment in AgroCenta, a technology-driven agricultural platform provider in Ghana.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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World Bank Calls for Unbiased Infrastructure Policy in Ethiopia
“To benefit fully from competition does not mean offering preferential treatment to Ethio Telecom but rather creating a level playing field on which it can compete fairly with its new rivals,” argued Dione.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Nigerian Fintech Startup, Cowrywise, Raises $3 Million Pre-Series a Funding Led by Quona Capital
Nigerian wealth management startup, Cowrywise, has announced that it has raised $3 million pre-series A funding.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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A Tentative Recovery: Survey Data Shows Signs of Progress – and Warnings of Future Distress – Among Kenyan Farmers During COVID-19
It’s estimated that over 50 million people are in need of immediate food assistance in the Horn, East and Central Africa. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into 2021, Kenyan farmers’ ability to weather this crisis is at the heart of the region’s recovery, say Venu Aggarwal and Kelsey Jarrett at 60 Decibels. They share data 60 Decibels has collected from thousands of Kenyan farmers, revealing both slight improvements since the early days of the crisis, and the danger of more severe, longer-term financial distress.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Transportation
- Tags
- COVID-19, data, digital inclusion
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MSME E-Commerce Enabler Shopmatic Sees 40% Revenue Growth Amid COVID; Aims to Turn Cash Positive in 2021
Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: Shopmatic had acquired CombineSell in October 2019 and Octopus Retail Management in March 2019 while it had partnered with PayU, OnlineSales.ai, United Overseas Bank - Singapore, and CIMB Bank - Malaysia to help SMEs enhance their omnichannel presence.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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When Inclusion is Not Inclusive: What Needs to Change to Achieve Meaningful Financial Inclusion for Women
India has achieved impressive growth in women's financial inclusion — recent statistics show that 79% of the country's women are financially included. But according to analysts at MSC, there are troubling questions about whether these women are truly benefiting from their newfound financial access. They discuss why financial inclusion often fails to impact female customers, and how viewing financial services for women through the lens of gender centrality could help.
- Categories
- Finance
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An Unlevel Playing Field: Why Small Businesses Face Disadvantages in Digital Commerce – and How Inclusive Tech Innovations Could Help
One reason COVID-19 has been so damaging to global micro and small enterprises (MSEs) is that consumers have shifted towards purchasing online – a change that has mainly benefited large corporations. According to Malika Anand at BFA's Catalyst Fund, making digital commerce more inclusive could help these businesses survive and grow in the long term. She shares research from Ghana that highlights several promising opportunities for digital commerce innovations that can benefit informal MSEs.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology, Transportation
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