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Twenty-five years after the Beijing Conference, achievements and persisting gaps
Over the past 25 years, undeniable achievements have been made in the field of gender equality and the promotion of women’s rights and opportunities. But this progress is still far too slow: at the cu...
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A key ingredient for Africa’s growth: investing in women entrepreneurs
Bridging gender gaps requires identifying and implementing programs and policies that target the specific constraints that women entrepreneurs face, and working with all actors in the private sector,...
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The private sector and cross-cutting gender issues in UN Sustainable Development Goals
In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) by 2030, the public policies of the signatory states have been placed at the heart of the mechanism. But the private sector has an undenia...
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Does entrepreneurship really empower women?
Concerns about gender inequalities and, more generally, women’s empowerment around the world are today central development issues. Empowerment is also increasingly seen through the prism of women’s en...
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Are digital technologies set to revolutionise SME financing in Africa?
According to Aiaze Mitha, an entrepreneur and Fintech expert, the many digital innovations that are emerging and already exist could transform each stage of the financing value chain, opening a new er...
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Mentoring and support: A key element in the sustainability of SMEs.
While there is a need for more research in the area of entrepreneur mentoring in Africa, the existing research shows a return on mentoring investment (ROMI) in the form of economic growth through reve...
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Cameroon: 90% of the labor force trapped in the informal sector
The informal sector occupies a disproportionate position in Cameroon. While it ensures the survival of many workers, it prevents the country’s development by maintaining low incomes and reducing its t...
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SME Finance as seen by regulators : Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa
Access to finance for African SMEs is a key challenge. Through this article, the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) aims to share the experiences and practices of member countries that have implem...
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Digitisation in Africa: Channelling Funding to SMEs
Could innovation emerge from near destruction? Would the digitisation that led to the global financial crisis preclude SMEs from obtaining the finance they needed to continue playing the crucial role...
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AFRICINVEST III
Proparco regularly invests in the fund which manages AfricInvest, a venture capital company focused on Africa. AfricInvest III finances midcaps in key development sectors.
Project
What are the main reasons for micro-business and SME loan default in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Micro- and small- and medium-sized businesses (micro-businesses and SMEs) are a vital part of Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic fabric but frequently suffer from poor access to funding and this represents...
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Realising Africa’s Potential: SME Finance and Skills
African SMEs have the potential to provide jobs for their working-age youth. Yet there are key impediments – access, risk, regulation and acumen – to them receiving financing. Addressing the perceived...
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Equity investment to bring to scale: An interview with two financed SMEs
As we have repeated on a number of occasions in this issue – and the different articles have borne this out – access to funding is one of the key challenges and obstacles to the development of SMEs in...
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Equity investment to bring SMEs to scale: An interview with two African fund managers
SMEs in Africa remain heavily reliant on internal resources and traditional bank debt. A lack of appropriate forms of finance – especially of the equity type – limits market entry, long-term investmen...
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“As you are encouraging the farmers to grow tea, you must be able to give them extension services”
At the head of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), Kenya's leading tea producer and exporter, Lerionka Tiampati discusses, for the Private Sector & Development review, the successes and challenge...
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Complementarity between agro-industry and smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa
By providing jobs, technical assistance and development projects to village communities, industrial groups strengthen their economic and social well-being – and can complete their production with the...
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Understanding SMEs in developing countries to meet their needs more effectively
There is now universal agreement on the crucial role of SMEs – which comprise the bulk of businesses in developing countries – particularly in creating jobs. Nevertheless, there are many different – s...
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“Investment in agriculture as a key poverty reduction lever”
The World Bank’s World development report was first published in 2008. It was co-written by Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet among others and it highlighted agriculture as “an essential developm...
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Promoting local agricultural production in an emerging country: the example of Les Vergers du Mékong
By promoting the fruit, coffee and tea production of smallholders in Vietnam, which is subsequently processed locally into products with high added value, Les Vergers du Mékong ensures profitability w...
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Agriculture: Nigeria’s job creation engine
Unemployed youth in Nigeria are estimated at over 60%. As this figure increases, so does the risk of insurgencies. The solution could come from agriculture; yet young smallholders face the problem of...
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