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Productive Use Has Challenges: What’s Holding the Sector Back — And How Companies and Investors Should Respond
Productive use of renewable energy (PURE) technologies such as solar irrigation, cold storage and agro-processing can have a transformative impact in Africa and other emerging markets. But though the potential of these technologies is undeniable, the scale isn’t. As Daniel Waldron, Chris Emmott and Kristi Chon at Acumen, and Duda Slawek at Open Capital explain, few agricultural companies are delivering PURE solutions, and fewer still are growing fast enough to meet the scope of the problems they are trying to solve. They share new research and analysis that illuminate the challenges that are holding the sector back, and propose three ways forward.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Investing, Technology
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ResponsAbility Invests up to USD $25 Million in Roserve Enviro to Expand Water Treatment in India
Roserve Enviro designs, builds and operates decentralized wastewater recycling and desalination systems for large industrial clients across India.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology, WASH
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Spark+ Africa Lends $1 Million to Expand Clean Cooking Loans in Ghana
The transaction is part of a series of recent Spark+ financings aimed at supporting clean cooking in Africa.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Rethinking What it Means to Start a Business: Why Systemic Venture Building Matters for Africa’s Food Future
Africa’s entrepreneurs are often seen as risky investments not due to any limitations of their own businesses, but because of the risks in the systems around them. As a result, as Dieuwertje Nelissen, Eveline Jansen and Rachael Kirui at Enviu argue, it's important for development stakeholders to move beyond de-risking individual businesses and to put greater effort into strengthening and de-risking the systems that support them. They explore this systemic approach in the context of African agriculture, sharing a venture-building model that can help entrepreneurs reduce early-stage risk and scale sustainable impact.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Alta Semper Secures USD $57.5 Million from EIB Group and IFC for Growth Fund II to Expand Healthcare Access Across Africa
Alta Semper Growth Fund II focuses on scaling market-leading healthcare and consumer businesses that improve access to affordable, high-quality products and services across Africa and other select growth markets.
- Categories
- Finance, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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DEG Provides EUR 30 Million Funding to Africa Go Green Fund to Scale Energy Efficiency and Climate-Friendly Solutions Across Africa
AGG targets the scale-up of commercially viable climate solutions that reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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India Doesn’t Need Borrowed Solutions; It Needs Local Problem-Solvers: Vikas Bali, CEO, Intellecap
Sankalp Bharat seeks to spotlight entrepreneurs from India’s tier II and III cities as the country’s next growth engine, says Vikas Bali.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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German DFI DEG Commits $50 Million to DPI’s Fourth Africa-Focused Private Equity Fund
The vehicle aims to inject capital into mid-tier African companies that are positioned for expansion but lack sufficient access to equity finance.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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