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Good links to the hinterland: the key to efficient overland transport
Good links between ports and their hinterland is one of the key catalysts driving growth and opening up different regions of Africa. Rail and roads – with all their respective advantages – compete to...
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Freight: the African bet
Major shippers are increasingly turning to Africa to avoid fierce competition on more traditional routes. However, as freight volumes are still too low, overcapacity is a constant problem.
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Proparco and the European Union
In 2015, the European Commission accredited Proparco to manage European funds for development. Mobilized to support projects in financial inclusion, support for entrepreneurship, climate finance, pres...
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Saving the Ganges: the vital changes needed in institutional and business models
While pollution of the Ganges appears to be an insoluble problem, demand for water – driven mainly by farming – is actually drying out certain sections of the river. Solutions exist but they require a...
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Yield and climate-linked insurance - a boon for small farmers
Insurance based on yield or weather indexes is a way of protecting small farmers in developing countries against natural risks. This innovation has the potential to improve their living conditions and...
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Privately-produced renewable energy in Africa: a credible alternative to traditional projects?
In Africa, many independent energy supply projects have grown up alongside state-controlled programmes. Sector-based reforms designed to boost production of renewable energies have been a boon for suc...
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Life insurance in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa
This article summarises part of the work of professors Aymeric Kamega and Frédéric Planchet: “Presentation of the life insurance sector in Frenchspeaking Sub-Saharan Africa” at Université de Bretagne...
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African Hotel Development – Great potential returns for investors
Everyone knows about Africa’s potential, created by the population explosion, the demographic profile of the population and the commodities “lottery win”. However, the shortage of hotel bedrooms provi...
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Insurance via your mobile phone: development of distribution channels in Africa
In Africa, insurance distribution relies on broking companies and insurance agents. The development of bank insurance is fraught with difficulty due to the persistently low penetration of bank account...
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Morocco: medical assistance for micro-business owners
Al Amana is Morocco’s leading microfinance institution, both in terms of customer base and the amount of credit provided. It operates throughout the country, supporting a vulnerable population by offe...
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Persuading businesses to commit: the WWF approach
For an NGO such as WWF, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an effective lever for influencing the practices of the private sector and for challenging its economic models. WWF therefore develops...
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Africa: on the way to CSR
Nowadays the concept of CSR is becoming increasingly widespread and is endorsed by a growing number of economic actors. Yet awareness levels in sub-Saharan Africa remain low, and few businesses implem...
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The role of development finance institutions in promoting CSR
Development finance institutions such as Proparco help the companies they finance to improve their environmental and social (E&S) practices. Their role is not limited to E&S risk management: they also...
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Building long term agricultural partnerships in Africa: four lessons from the Olam experience
Focus Emerging Africa offers increasing opportunities, both as a growing consumer market and a vibrant production centre. Of course there are challenges and risks, but these are surmountable with the...
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The role of private equity funding in the development of Africa's agriculture
Ensuring that Africa can feed itself by 2050 and contribute to the increasing global demand for food will require well-targeted coordination and collaboration between governments, donors, entrepreneur...
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Democratising access to higher education: a story from Brazil
Anhanguera is part of a new generation of private companies that have flourished during the last decade in Brazil catering to the demand from a growing middle class for higher education. Thanks to con...
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Education for all: the private sector can contribute
Education is a human right, which states have the responsibility to ensure. But they need not be the sole provider. Private involvement can increase financial resources committed to education and supp...
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How can development finance institutions help to build an effective African banking sector?
Limited, fragmented, inefficient and characterised by strong regional disparities, Sub-Saharan Africa's banking sectors lack the capability to meet the private sector's financing needs. Development fi...
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Development in Africa through mobile money democratization
Mobile money, an African success story, offers numerous benefits, particularly to those who do not have access to banks. Its first phase has facilitated access to and transfers of cash, but there is m...
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Harnessing non-state education providers through innovative financing
If properly harnessed, the non-state education sector has the potential to improve access to quality education services for the poor. Significant gaps remain among governments and donors in developing...
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