-
Africa’s Ed-Tech Sector Has Unlimited Potential, but Lack of Funding Holds It Back
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion of the six developing world regions, according to the World Bank.
- Categories
- Education, Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- edtech, scale, venture capital, youth
-
Trash Talk: Five Lessons for Reducing Plastic Pollution by Establishing Sachet Recycling Loops
Sachet waste — i.e., packaging for small, single-use quantities of consumer goods — is a growing environmental threat. With increasing demand for sachet-packaged products, particularly in emerging economies, the world now produces a staggering 855 billion pieces of this waste each year. Rolph Droste at Bopinc discusses the environmental impact of sachet waste, and shares learnings from a consortium of businesses and nonprofits that is establishing a large-scale, market-driven solution for recycling this waste in Bangladesh.
- Categories
- Environment, WASH
-
Ampersand, a Rwandan E-Bike Startup, Raises $19.5 Million in a Funding Round
The Ampersand fleet has increased to over a thousand since its commercial launch in May 2019, and by the end of 2024, it is projected to surpass ten thousand.
- Categories
- Technology, Transportation
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Securitization for Social Impact: Why It’s the Ideal Instrument for Scaling Social Enterprises Providing Consumer Financing in the Developing World
Economic uncertainty has led to a risk-averse approach from investors in recent years, forcing social enterprises and other businesses in developing countries to find alternative sources of finance. Ron Pfende at d.light shares an innovative solution to this challenge: securitization, the process of transforming a group of cash-generating assets into one investable security. He explains how d.light has leveraged this approach to finance its growth, and how securitization yields returns for businesses and investors alike.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
-
NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2023: Announcing the Three Winners of our Annual Contest
As 2024 gets underway, we'd like to announce the results of NextBillion’s annual “Most Influential Article of the Year” contest. This year's contest featured a strong slate of articles, covering a diverse array of topics ranging from systems change to decarbonization, in sectors that included energy, agriculture, finance and more. We've highlighted the three winners, as selected by our readers, in this article.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology, WASH
-
Announcing NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2023: Cast Your Vote in our Annual Contest by Jan. 7!
As 2023 draws to a close, it’s time for NextBillion’s annual tradition: our “Most Influential Articles of the Year” contest. As we've done since 2012, we've selected 12 of our most-read articles from the past year, inviting readers to vote for the ones that influenced their thinking the most. You can vote multiple times — up to once per hour — during the voting period, which will run from Dec. 22 to 11:59 pm on Jan. 7. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year!
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology, WASH
-
Vammo Aims to Scale E-Motorcycle Battery Swapping Across Latin America
The startup, formerly Leoparda Electric, offers an e-motorcycle subscription that comes with unlimited access to battery swapping stations.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology, Transportation
- Region
- Latin America
-
Upcycled Cacao Fruit Juice, Anyone? Investors Gave Swiss-Ghanaian Startup $15 Million to Scale Koa Pure
The upcycled cacao startup makes products from the fruit of the plant, and its latest investment round involves both returning and new investors.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Subscribe to Our 'Business in Global Development' Newsletter!
Our new weekly LinkedIn newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with curated news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage of impact-focused business in emerging markets.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.