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Report: 810 Million Women Still Not Using Mobile Internet in Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Compared to 595 Million Men
Persistent barriers such as those related to affordability, skills and safety concerns continue to limit women’s digital inclusion in low- and middle-income countries.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Global
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Visible From Space: New Research on Zipline’s Impact in Africa Beyond Healthcare
The findings document a 22% reduction in child fatalities from severe acute malnutrition, a 68% direct return on investment for smallholder pig farmers, and $850 to $1,200 in additional annual household income near Zipline distribution hubs.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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UN Report Warns AI’s Water, Land and Climate Costs Are Rising Faster Than Governance
AI-related water consumption could equal the basic annual domestic needs of 1.3 billion people by the end of the decade.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Flipping the Script on Investor Feedback: A New Survey Gives Entrepreneurs a Platform to Assess — And Influence — Their Impact Investors’ Practices
There have been a number of critiques of impact investing in recent months, targeting several common investor practices. Yet as Yaquta Fatehi at the William Davidson Institute (WDI) points out, these appraisals rarely come from entrepreneurs, who often receive feedback from investors, but typically lack the ability to respond in kind. She shares a new research initiative by Acumen and WDI called "Founders in Focus: The State of Impact Capital" that aims to change this dynamic: Instead of focusing on what entrepreneurs need to do differently to attract investment, it invites founders to capture their experiences with investors — both the good and the bad — in a structured manner that can spark actual change in the investing ecosystem. The survey is open to founders and C-suite executives across Africa, Asia and Latin America who have raised capital in 2024-2025: Respond by June 26 to add your views.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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Analysis: Why the World’s Most Ambitious Coal Phase‑Out Deal Has Failed – And What It Means for Climate Finance
The failure to decommission Cirebon-1 matters beyond Indonesia. It suggests the world’s flagship model for financing the end of fossil fuels isn’t working. And the longer it takes to admit that, the harder the transition becomes – for Indonesia, and for everyone.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- South Asia
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Nigerian AI Startup Talksign Launches Real-Time Sign Language Translation Models
Talksign said it plans to expand the models’ capabilities in upcoming versions, including support for additional sign languages such as British Sign Language, Deutsche Gebärdensprache, and Nigerian Sign Language.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Report: The Human Cost of Recycling Tech Devices
Using more than 20 years of data, Finn and Gounaridis are working to make sense of what they call the “informal paradox”; a complex trade-off between relative economic opportunity and exposure to chronic health and environmental harm.
- Source
- University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) (link opens in a new window)
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Selling the Outcome, Not Just the Appliance: What the Clean Cooling Sector Can Learn from Clean Cooking
The demand for cooling solutions will more than triple by 2050 — and based on current technologies and strategies, this increase will almost double cooling-related greenhouse gas emissions, worsening the very crisis that's driving this growth. Colm Fay, Ekta Jhaveri and Rajat Chabba at the William Davidson Institute (WDI) explore how sustainable cooling solutions could meet this rising demand, while cutting emissions by nearly two-thirds. To achieve that ambitious goal, they argue that the clean cooling sector should leverage the experience of the off-grid solar and clean cooking industries. They share insights from a new WDI report that highlights what clean cooling can learn from both the successes — and the flawed assumptions — of these sectors.
- Categories
- Energy
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