A new partnership between a U.S. government agency, a World Bank Group member and a private equity fund plans to help about half a million small-scale farmers boost yields and improve food security in sub-Saharan Africa. The U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corp. and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency announced Monday that they would create a […]
In Latin America, Chile has grown into the region’s leading solar market. It has 400 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation under construction – more than any other nation in the region. For comparison 400MW is nearly half the capacity of an average nuclear reactor. Unlike wealthier nations, Chile is building large solar projects […]
There’s a rift in Latin America that is neatly defined by two oceans. According to the International Monetary Fund’s latest economic forecasts, the Atlantic-facing countries of Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina, the largest members of the Mercosur customs union, will grow at an average rate of 0.6 percent this year; while Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico—which […]
Private equity investors have always celebrated the investment opportunities in consumer goods, financial services and telecommunications – obvious strategic plays on Africa’s growth and emerging middle class. But, investors are growingly turning their interest to sectors once perceived as ‘the leftovers’ (or better left to government officials and donors). Investors look at the continent’s need […]
Ahead of a major United Nations conference on landlocked development countries (LLDCs) set for later this year, delegates at a high-level meeting in Mongolia have called for the immediate ratification of an agreement which will help boost trade and make it easier for these countries to participate competitively in global markets. Trade facilitation measures are […]
Since the rise of mobile communications and the Internet, movements have emerged to leverage such technologies to for economic growth, social equity, improved education and healthcare, and other public goods. Under the rubric of “Information Communication Technologies for Development” (ICT4D), donor agencies, NGOs, companies, industry coalitions and other players have clamored to launch initiatives to […]
Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has warned that despite “showing a remarkable resilience in the face of the global financial crisis”, poverty levels in Africa are still “unacceptably high”. Lagarde said that poverty affects 45% of Sub-Saharan African households and that inequality is high, with some countries struggling to recover from […]
