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Press release: Nine new projects focused on financial inclusion to receive more than US $9 million
Lindsay Wallace, Director of Strategy and Learning at the Mastercard Foundation, said: “The aim of the FRP has always been to enable smallholder farmers and poor people living in rural Africa to reach their full potential by supporting new private sector initiatives that provide access to financial services. We’re very happy to see this latest round of selected firms, demonstrating the depth and breadth of ideas and action plans that will do just that.”
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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USAID and Musoni Microfinance sign $8 million loan guarantee agreement to boost Kenya’s agricultural sector
Small scale farmers, individuals, associations, cooperatives and micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya will be the key beneficiaries of this guarantee.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press release: Upaya Social Ventures Will Fund Its Next Investments from A Recoverable Grant Pool
Upaya Announced $2M to expand its job-creating investments, including an innovative $1M Pool of Recoverable Grants that will be used to fund its next investments; the first term sheet has been presented to an agribusiness enterprise.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Tableau pledges to donate $100M to help health, human-rights groups
Tableau Software will donate $100 million in technology resources and grants through 2025 to assist global health and equality organizations, increasing its foundation’s size significantly in its fifth year.
- Categories
- Health Care
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Making AI Work for Africa: Why Google Must Go Local with its New Research Center in Ghana
In June, Google announced that it would open an Artificial Intelligence (AI) research center in Accra, Ghana later this year – one more sign of Africa’s vast untapped potential for AI innovation. But since developing countries will be hit hardest by manufacturing job losses caused by AI-fueled automation, Google must avoid “merely creating an African outpost for its pre-existing research efforts,” says Ghanaian entrepreneur Timothy Kotin. He explores the transformation impact that companies like Google could make if they invest in regional talent to develop locally relevant AI solutions.
- Categories
- Technology
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Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus wants two financial systems—one for the rich and one for the poor
Last month, the 10-year-old US division of Grameen announced that it had provided more than $1 billion in loans to 106,000 women. Over the next decade, it plans to provide $1 billion in loans every year, and nearly double the number of branches, to 42.
- Categories
- Finance
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Press release: OPIC Commits $125 Million to Expand Access to Capital for Medium-Sized Companies in India
OPIC will contribute to a $700 million fund established by GPC to expand access to financing for growing companies in India operating in the healthcare, energy, technology, agricultural, and services sectors. By providing greater access to expansion capital, the OPIC-supported fund will help narrow the capital shortage that entrepreneurs and business owners face across India.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Three Ways Inclusive Businesses Can Become More Customer-Centric
In any successful business, the customer always comes first. However, impact-focused enterprises often paint customers at the base of the pyramid with wide brush strokes, overlooking nuances in culture, location and literacy. Christian Jahn, Executive Director of the Inclusive Business Action Network, understands the desire to "help" poor people – but notes well-intended social entrepreneurs risk ignoring what their customers really want. Instead, Jahn recommends businesses develop a holistic view of customer needs, viewing them through a realistic lens for more meaningful impact.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise