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Liberia’s big school experiment
Liberia, which elected a new president last week, has among the highest percentage of out-of-school primary children in the world.
In a bid to improve the availability and quality of schools, the West African country has been carrying out a controversial experiment.- Categories
- Education
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- NGOs, public policy
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South Africa really can’t afford free education for all despite the liberation promise
The promise of free education is one South Africa’s liberation heroes have made since 1955 through the Freedom Charter document. The commission’s findings contradict the charter’s dreams and president Jacob Zuma’s compromise to students during the 2015 #FeesMustFall protests that free education was indeed possible.
- Categories
- Education
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public policy
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Viewpoint: Venezuela’s likely default could teach you a lesson: Don’t invest in dictatorships
If the default occurs, they’ll only be getting what they deserve. And as an added bonus, the spectacle of a Venezuelan default — the first by a major country since Argentina’s in 2001 — would help convince investors across the world that it’s not good business to invest in state-run companies of repressive regimes.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing, public policy
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Zambia Launches Its First National Financial Inclusion Strategy
The strategy, policy and the survey report are a product of extensive stakeholder consultations with members of the public sector, private sector, civil society organizations, and academia led by the Government's National Financial Inclusion Drafting Committee. The strategy will guide Zambia in its plan to achieve the universal access and use of a broad range of affordable financial products and services.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: Poor policy slowing Kenya’s ICT sector as neighbors take lead
Today, much of the traction witnessed in the last seven years has slowed to a crawl. Growth in Kenya’s ICT sector has petered out and the country is now struggling to attract fresh technology financing and prove its competitiveness amidst competition from new emerging markets such as Rwanda and Ethiopia. A recent report looking into startup financing in the region found that local e-health startups barely managed to take two per cent of Sh1.9 billion in funding that went to the sector in the last three years.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public policy
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Silicon Valley and governments have to play nice if we want to save the world
Traditionally positioned as opponents at opposite ends of the ring—the private sector wanting to make a profit, the public sector wanting to make a difference—UNGA treated both as equals and encouraged them to shake hands instead of throw punches. True, lasting, global change isn’t the responsibility of either party alone, but to move forward, they’re going to have to find some middle ground.
- Categories
- Technology
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New act in Thailand to give social enterprises a big boost
Social Enterprises Act will propose that the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) set a target for the rest of this year and through 2018 to boost the number of social enterprises in the country.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Study finds microfinance can help, even if goals aren’t met
"We can't just think about what the projects are doing for people but should also examine what people do for projects," Beck said. "We need to look at how policies get transformed on the ground."
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Latin America