On a recent trip to Nairobi, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet with both Equity Bank and M-PESA at Safaricom. M-PESA and Equity Bank are prime examples of companies involved in a new trend in innovation. A recent Economist report on innovation in emerging markets explains that “many of the most important innovations…are aimed at the middle or the bottom of the income pyramid.” Continue reading
Tag Archives: East Africa
The Base of the Pyramid: Room to Grow
by Tom Haslett
One of the most important questions facing multinational corporations today is whether they can make a profit with products and services marketed to the poor in developing countries. Many companies are actively exploring this approach with a variety of goods meant to reach consumers with limited expendable income: this is called a “bottom of the pyramid” strategy. As firms search for new opportunities, Africa represents a particularly large and attractive market to tap. Equally importantly, new innovations that earn a profit for their creators can also serve the continent’s people as a powerful tool for development. Continue reading
Mobile Banking in Malawi
On a recent trip to Malawi, my colleague Aubrey and I drove from the capital city of Lilongwe to Blantyre and back… roughly five hours each way. The trip was longer than we expected, partly because we also made several stops so that Patrick, our driver, could distribute money to his relatives who lived in rural areas. Continue reading
Rwanda and Mauritius: Doing Better Business in Africa
By Meg Dallett
Last week I attended the DC launch of the World Bank and IFC’s Doing Business 2010 report, which annually measures business reforms and ease of doing business around the world. The report ranks countries using ten indicators of how long or arduous it is to do business in those countries – things like starting a business, getting credit, and enforcing contracts – and highlights countries that make progress in any of those areas. Continue reading
The New Global Reality: Africans Lead the Way at the AGOA Forum
Kenyan PM Odinga addresses the AGOA Forum. Source: KICC, 2009 AGOA 8th Forum.
The world has come to expect strong and dynamic leadership from the Obama administration. In the campaign, they promised to bring change and new ideas to domestic and international policy and to redefine and recalibrate the US’s role in the world. At the 8th Annual AGOA Forum-the annual US-Africa Summit-held this week in Kenya, however, it was the African leaders who broke new ground. Continue reading
African Investment in Africa
By Meg Dallett
After the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reported last year that Africa provides the highest rate of return on foreign direct investment (FDI) of any developing region in the world – over 12% – it’s hardly surprising that private investment in Africa is increasing exponentially. In just seven years, FDI to Africa grew by over 550%, skyrocketing from $9.1 billion in 2001 to $60 billion in 2008. Continue reading
Africa Health News July-August 2009
- African Institutions to Lead Global Health Consortia
- Wyeth Launches Final Trial of Drug to Prevent Blindness
- International Network Established to Combat Malaria Resistance
- Malaria Vaccine One Step Closer
- Rockefeller Foundation Unveils Groundbreaking Initiative to Improve Health in Africa and Asia
- Ethiopian Health Minister to Chair Global Fund Board
- Global Business Coalition Announces 2009 Awards for Business Excellence
- Dr. Sam Zaramba, Director General of Health Services, Uganda — a Leader in Health Continue reading
Buy Local in Africa
By Meg Dallett
According to a recent GAO report on US food aid, Congressional restrictions on that aid make it much more costly and time-consuming to get the food to the people who need it. Currently, the government buys most of the food from heavily-subsidized US farmers and then transports it to the developing world to distribute it-it’s not hard to see that this is pretty inefficient. Not only do our subsidies distort the global market for major crops by keeping prices low enough that African farmers struggle to make a living, we then put many of the remaining farmers out of business by giving our excess crops to their neighbors, the only potential customers they have. Furthermore, the GAO’s results now show that in addition to all this, we’re getting less food aid for our money and it takes longer to get to the developing world. Instead, we ought to be buying food aid directly from those farmers in Africa. Continue reading
Focus on Food Security
Last week, the US announced that the G8 countries would contribute $15 billion over the next three years to help the world’s poorest farmers grow enough food to feed themselves. The initiative marks a new approach to hunger alleviation for the US government – instead of sending food grown in the US to the developing world, the US and the G8 will invest in agricultural inputs like seed and fertilizer and devote funding to research new plant varieties. Continue reading
Africa Health News May-June 2009
In this issue:
- Global Health Progress initiative hosts senior African health officials.
- President Obama asks for $63 billion for global health.
- Rwanda first developing nation to offer pneumococcal vaccine.
- Sustainable drug procurement key to enhance to healthcare in Africa.
- Private equity fund launched to strengthen healthcare in Africa.
- Delegation observes World Malaria Day on Capitol Hill.
- Dr Eric Goosby, Global AIDS Coordinator nominee. Continue reading
Uganda Update Spring 2009
In this issue:
- Uganda set to be among Africa’s strongest economies in 2009
- Uganda secures African Development Bank funding to improve local markets
- MTN Uganda launches mobile money transfer service
- Computer education initiative wins Intel award
- Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa launches African Seed Investment Fund
- GroFin to invest $20 million to support small businesses
- Uganda poised to become business outsourcing hub Continue reading
Trade-Led Growth and Development, Even in a Recession
By Meg Dallett
Amidst the omnipresent news stories about countries and industries suffering in the global economic crisis, there’s good news coming out of East Africa: according to the African Development Bank’s African Economic Outlook 2009, growth for the region is expected to be about 5.5% for this year. This is much, much better than almost every other region in the world is expected to do. Continue reading
Ugandan Economy to be among Africa’s Strongest in 2009
Coffee is Uganda's top export, earning $348 million in 2008.
Uganda’s economy is expected to be among Africa’s strongest in 2009 with a growth rate of around 6% thanks largely to strong regional trade and continued demand for its agricultural exports, according to the African Economic Outlook 2009, published in May by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Continue reading
Doraleh: Infrastructure Investment and the Future of African Shipping
By Meg Dallett
Yesterday’s Financial Times had an interesting look at the state of Africa’s logistics sector, as exemplified by the contrast between Djibouti’s Doraleh Container Terminal and the older Port of Djibouti. One is new, well-organized, and a model of solid logistical management; the other is backlogged with technical and bureaucratic hang-ups. This line sticks out to me:
The question for Africa’s logistics sector is which of the two scenes will be more typical of its future – the modern, efficient container terminal or the congested, chaotic old port.
President Obama’s Emerging Africa Policy
Published at allAfrica.com – Trade Talk with Rosa Whitaker
by Rosa Whitaker
Slowly but surely, President Obama’s Africa policy is beginning to take shape. In my twenty-five years of work on African economic issues, I’ve seen consecutive US Administrations become increasingly more committed to Africa’s development. I don’t believe President Obama will be an exception. The fact that his overall foreign policy is driven by experienced-hands with Africa expertise gives reason to believe that Africa will be well-integrated and supported within the broader US foreign and economic policy construct. Continue reading
Diaspora Development
The other night I attended the launch of the Liberian Professional Network, the latest in a series of new organizations with the potential to revolutionize the way African expatriates can help develop their home countries. LPN brings together professionals in the Liberian diaspora to network, socialize, and support social causes and investment ventures back in Liberia. Diasporas have historically given significant financial support to their home countries – Liberia received $300 million in remittances in 2007 – but what sets groups like LPN apart is that they can coordinate all those resources to get a greater return. Continue reading
Multimodal Technologies for Africa
As new social phenomena, like Twitter, combine one technogical platform (SMS – short message service) with another (the internet), the feasibility of communicating has increased. This has particular relevance for Africa, which has the world’s most dense cell phone usage. (With three out of every four people using cellular numbers as their primary number, cellular numbers in Africa are the closest thing to national ID numbers in most countries). And, as the highly anticipated fiber optic cable in East Africa comes online, Africa will be well-equipped to advance these multimodal technologies. Continue reading
Africa Health News March-April 2009
Headlines: Africa on track to malaria milestone, Novartis releases child friendly antimalarial, global community redoubles efforts to eradicate polio, African initiative launched to fund local health research in Kenya and Malawi, delegation visits East Africa to explore partnerships, Coca-Cola commits $30 million for clean water in Africa, promising results for women’s microbicide gel, African entrepreneurs promote sustainable sanitation solutions. Continue reading
African Health Delegation Presents Leadership Award to Carter Center at Capitol Hill Reception Hosted by Global Health Progress and ONE
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A delegation of senior health officials from 11 African countries and the African Union presented a leadership award on April 22, 2009, to President Jimmy Carter and The Carter Center for their work over the past 25 years in combating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Africa. The delegation was in Washington to promote public-private partnerships in health and to directly advocate for continued US support and funding for African health initiatives. Continue reading
Intellectual Property Rights For Africa
In Africa, ingenuity abounds. But the intellectual property rights designed to protect that ingenuity often don’t. Less than one percent of patent applications globally are from Africa.
If Africa is a well-spring of innovation, why doesn’t it protect its inventions? The answer is complex, and largely the result of a number of factors: under funded research institutions, cultural practices, lack of legal services and clogged governmental IP structures. Continue reading
