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Mobilizing Capital in the Low-Cost Private School Sector: Key Insights Two Years into an Innovative Partnership
One in five children in sub-Saharan Africa are out of school, and without scalable solutions, the region — like other emerging markets — won’t meet SDG 4’s goal of education for all. Mauricio Rincon and Mathieu Fourn at Opportunity International, and Alvaro Ma at Oikocredit argue that affordable non-state schools can help address this need — but only if they're supported by financial institutions and impact investment. They share learnings from a partnership between Opportunity and Oikocredit that is directing millions of dollars in capital to these schools, along with capacity building and other support.
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Reimagining Enterprise Support and Advisory Services for Energy SMEs: Five Principles for Boosting their Impact in the Global South
Over 675 million people still lack access to electricity (as of 2021) — over 80% of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. As Godfrey Simiyu Katiambo at Mercy Corps Energy4Impact explains, bridging this energy gap in an equitable, sustainable manner will require not only a massive increase in funding, but also targeted support for the small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) that are advancing clean energy access in underserved communities. He explores the growing need for enterprise support and technical and business advisory services that cater to these SMEs' unique challenges, and proposes five ways to boost the impact of these services.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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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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Rwanda Launches $2 Million Facility to Provide Financial and Technical Support to Agritech Startups
The allocation of funds is set to tackle food-related challenges in the nation and stimulate innovation in East Africa.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Grant Call Open for Innovators to Harness Clean Energy to Improve Incomes and Climate Resilience in Africa
This is the first of three rounds of funding planned through Powering Renewable Energy Opportunities (PREO), with over €8m in grants available over the next four years to support innovative, renewable energy-based projects, improving livelihoods and aiding job creation.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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New Jurisdictional REDD+ Technical Assistance Partnership Announced at COP28
JTAP members will work towards unlocking the potential of the rapidly evolving jurisdictional REDD+ marketplace to help tropical forest countries access much needed finance and accelerate large-scale conservation of forests.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance
- Region
- Global
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The Next Generation of DFI Technical Assistance: Why it’s Time for Development Finance Institutions to Take a Standardised Approach
Development finance institution technical assistance (DFI TA) has expanded greatly in scope and scale in recent years. But Johanna Strikwerda and Justin van Rhyn argue that a lack of standardization in TA approaches has made it hard for DFIs to coordinate their efforts, share best practices and maximize their effectiveness. In this article — the second in a two-part series exploring the uses of TA in development finance — they explore the benefits of a more standardized approach to TA design, delivery and results measurement, and highlight some ways DFIs can move toward this standardization.
- Categories
- Investing
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Empowering Emerging Fund Managers in Underserved Markets: The Role of Development Finance Technical Assistance
Emerging fund managers and other capital allocators play a vital role in addressing the "missing middle" financing gap in underserved markets. But as Robert Haynie and Justin van Rhyn point out, the demand for this funding vastly outweighs the current supply. In this article — the first in a two-part series exploring the uses of technical assistance (TA) in development finance — they explore how development finance institutions can leverage TA to meet the earlier-stage financing needs of missing middle businesses and improve the pipeline for later-stage investors.
- Categories
- Investing