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Good Food, Good Business: How African ‘Superfoods’ Can Boost Women Entrepreneurs and Their Communities
Africa has one of the largest youth populations in the world – and it's projected to double by 2055. To support this young generation of tomorrow, we need to invest in their mothers today, says Oumar Barou Togola, the founder of Farafena Health Inc. He explores how Farafena is partnering with women farmers in Mali and Malawi, helping them start micro-businesses that bring nutrient-rich African "superfoods" to North American markets.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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Seeing the Road Ahead: Women in the Driver’s Seat for Change
Esenam Nyador knows it’s not enough to just give women opportunities in the male-dominated taxi business in Ghana. She’s focused on shifting the mindsets of taxi companies, male drivers and the general public to build an inclusive environment for females to thrive – not just to drive. Nyador is one of several women profiled by Jennifer Vogt, Innovation Manager at Ashoka Social Financial Services. As we near International Women’s Day, Vogt showcases several women who are not only challenging male-dominated workplaces, but the entire systems enabling them.
- Categories
- Technology, Transportation
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Digital commerce will transform African economies, starting with cheaper phones
Growth could have a massive impact on African countries, with their young and increasingly urban populations. But most governments are not ready.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- e-commerce, employment
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Igniting Growth in the DRC: How Renewable Energy Can Power Urban Development
Off-grid solar systems have been a key to bringing energy access to the rural poor across East Africa. Yet in the Democratic Republic of Congo, just 9 percent of the population have access to electricity. Flavia Howard, a strategy consultant for social entrepreneurs, argues that in spite of the disruption caused by disease and war, her research shows that the country presents a compelling market for distributed energy solutions.
- Categories
- Energy
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Press release: Shortlist announces $2 Million Series A Investment
This funding will allow us build out our vision for how companies in Africa and India build their teams, grounded in the belief that potential and motivation matter more than a CV, and that both companies and job-seekers deserve better than the status quo.
- Categories
- Investing
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The social entrepreneur equipping youth with skills of the future
Juan David Aristizabal is the founder of social enterprise Los Zuper, which uses a mix of media content and live events to inspire young people to equip themselves with the capabilities needed for the future.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- employment
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More Than a Job: Helping Livelihood Programs Reach Their Development Potential
“Livelihood” is regularly cited as a focus of development work. But its definition is often vague, including projects that span multiple sectors and objectives, from skills training to financial security. According to Lexi Doolittle at S3IDF, while livelihood is a complex and flexible concept, it’s important to remember that it isn’t the same as employment. She discusses the multi-faceted nature of the livelihood approach, using the example of S3IDF’s work with small farmers in rural India.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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How Informal Employment in Emerging Markets is Boosting Fintechs in Alternative Lending
The informal sector, which official GDP does not reflect, holds a significant share in the economies of developing countries. At the same time, if the volume of goods and services produced informally is rarely more than 40 percent of the official GDP, then the share of people employed off the books can be incomparably higher.
- Categories
- Finance
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