Today, 1.6 billion people worldwide and more than 500 million in Africa lack access to electricity for basic needs such as household cooking and lighting. The number in Africa is expected to rise over the next 20 years to nearly 700 million. These people rely predominantly on fuel-based cooking and lighting (mostly with charcoal,...
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Grameen Foundation, a global non-profit organization has recently released a set of standards for strengthening the use of its poverty assessment tool, the Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI). The standards are a pre-cursor to a formal certification program the foundation will roll out this fall. PPI users can apply the standards to assess...
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The Association of Microfinance Industry (AMFI) has adopted rules designed to govern and promote accountability among its members. AMFI Chairperson Jennifer Riara, said rising concern worldwide on the effectiveness of microfinance to fight poverty had prompted the signing of the new regulation that was witnessed by 43 of its members at a Nairobi hotel....
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As microfinance has evolved in recent years to encompass a number of different types of institutions offering a wide range of financial services to the poor, enabling regulatory environments have become increasingly important. However, it is often difficult to find information on financial inclusion laws and regulations. To help address this need, CGAP is...
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How does the possession of a title deed—or tenure security affect the choice of inputs used on land? This is a question that needs to be addressed within the Vision 2030 strategy. The role of agriculture in Kenya’s economy cannot be over-emphasised, especially in providing food, employment, income and foreign exchange. The sector contributes...
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Genetically improved Jatropha crop that has high bio-diesel content, which can be processed into motor and industrial oil and other products such as seedcake for livestock feeds and soap, can help Africa increase the value of its marginal land and incomes, research by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says. The research, conducted in...
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Regular readers of this blog are familiar with mobile banking and its potential to bring vast numbers of the unbanked into a more formal financial system and revolutionize the way they manage their money. Yet although microfinance institutions (MFIs) have spent decades serving this clientele with loans and increasingly savings and other financial products,...
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Students at charter schools tend to get higher scores on achievement tests than those who remain in public schools, but is it the schools that account for the difference or just the ambitions of the charter school parents? Microfinance has proved to be an effective tool for getting capital to entrepreneurs in developing countries,...
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The clean-tech innovations that will solve the world’s most urgent environmental problems might come from where we least expect it: by first serving the needs of consumers at the base of the economic pyramid, says Stuart Hart, a professor of management at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and chairman of the university’s Center...
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As microfinance providers and supporters continue promoting the importance of improving access to financial services amongst micro and small business owners, they will need to augment their microfinance services with promoting basic entrepreneurial training. The scene at open-air markets in Kenya, especially in the rural areas, can sometimes be troubling. As you enter the...
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