M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer system that enables people to exchange funds without a bank account, is one of the biggest business success stories on the African continent. Created by Vodafone in Kenya, the system took just a few years to reach a market of 10 million users in a country where the population...
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Newly-formed group Alquity Investment Management has launched an Africa fund for UK retail investors that sees 25% of management fees donated to support humanitarian projects in the region. Alquity Group, a company with $130m (£84.4m) assets under management, launched an investment management arm this year to provide a different type of investment that, it...
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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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US $350,000 in prize funds to be awarded to the continent’s most innovative and inspiring entrepreneurs. Applications exceed previous totals by 40% with most from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. Entries close at the end of August. This July Legatum, a privately owned international investment group, in conjunction with Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment...
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Gross corruption, constant wars, and irrational economics long made Africa a poor, troubled continent where natural-resource companies were almost the only multinationals that dared or cared to do business. But in the 1990s, the picture improved. The wars started subsiding. Many governments balanced their budgets and created a better, safer environment for companies, both...
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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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Business leaders and policy makers from several African countries are set to converge in Berlin Germany this October to explore opportunities in renewable energy in support of much needed infrastructural development and youth employment. The international seminar on Investment Opportunities in Renewable Energy to take place from Oct 4-8 is already attracting strong interests...
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Most people with a lively interest in microfinance know that the majority of microloans dispensed throughout the world today come from for-profit microfinance institutions, rather than donation-dependent non-governmental organizations (NGOs). What may be less recognized is how these for-profit MFIs were born. Many of the world’s largest and most successful microfinance organizations — including...
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To enable people from poor communities around the world to earn an income members of the public are now able to lend money to a specific individual to start a small business, thanks to the launch of a new charity backed website. Lenders simply log on to the new UK site Lendwithcare.org from leading...
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Standard Chartered Private Bank has formed a strategic partnership with the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, a global network of more than 7,500 business owners, as it looks to redouble its efforts to target the growing pool of self-made high-net worth individuals in emerging markets. In a statement today, the UK-based emerging markets-focused bank said it hoped...
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