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IKEA Supports SME Waste Management Projects with $5.1 Million in Kenya
The collaborative effort will support the development of policies and regulations that encourage private sector engagement in waste management and circular economy practices.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology, WASH
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Climate Finance: Fintech Nithio Raises $10 Million for Its African Operations
The mechanism provides financing to companies that supply clean energy to households and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How African Startups Raised Funding in 2023
With equity funding becoming rare, several startups found it hard to survive, leading them to either cut down their teams or scale down operations and, in some cases, close shop.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Non Banking Financial Company Namdev Finvest Bags $15 Million to Ramp Up Its Offerings For MSMEs
The Jaipur-based startup offers financial solutions in rural India, with a primary focus on MSMEs and green finance options.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Aboyeji and Koschitzky-Kimani Launch ‘African YC’ with Support from a $750,000 USAID Grant
With both founders having experienced significant startup successes, they aim to foster the next wave of global businesses from Africa.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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BRD and KfW Sign €15.6 Million to Support Rwanda SMEs and Export Growth
The agreement aims to foster the growth of both emerging and export-oriented SMEs in Rwanda, with a specific focus on women-led enterprises.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Job Growth is More than Digital Job Growth: Why Both Online and Offline Enterprises Deserve Investor Support
The appeal of the tech-driven economy can be hard for investors to resist. But Liliosa Mbirimi at the Leila Janah Foundation argues that focusing exclusively on the digital realm can exclude many offline entrepreneurs that are making major contributions to job creation in emerging markets. She discusses the need for investors to support both digital and non-digital entrepreneurs, and shares learnings from the Foundation's efforts to provide this support in Kenya and Uganda.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
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Lean Thinking isn’t Just for Large Manufacturing Businesses: A Roadmap for Applying it to Small and Medium Enterprises
Toyota developed lean thinking — a rigorous, data-centric approach that aims to optimize business processes by empowering staff to identify and solve problems — in the 1950s. But as Yaquta Fatehi and Heather Esper at the William Davidson Institute explain, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly using lean methodologies to reduce costs, increase efficiency and boost customer satisfaction and profits. They define key concepts and standard practices in lean thinking, and propose a roadmap for applying these approaches to SMEs' operations.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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