Thanks Alyssia for sharing this. It's interesting to see the growing emphasis development partners are placing on strengthening the "ecosystem" around enterprises and entrepreneurs.
Hi Dougie,
You're right - the word "partnership" is really important. Just a note on your other comments. At SABMiller in Ghana we clearly have more clout with government when trying to encourage a more supportive and favourable business environment than small start ups. What about for instance the smallholders who want to expand their businesses but have no access to credit and have no clout within government. It is this focus on the BoP and how the business environment affects them that I think is so important.
From our research over 40 years,the 2 most interesting ways forward in developing world connect
open education
bottom up NGOs
According to mapping data we have been able to collect from journalists for humanity.p arts of africa are brilliant at the first but dont have much scaleable mass at the second with possible exception of kenya (and in healthcare Rwanda).. What if anything does DFID or UK-led corporate partners contribute to open education and bottom-up NGOs?
Exactly. If you are a smallholder, and it takes you 4 half of days + 2 days of travel to comply with rules such as registering your business formally and attain the holy right of paying taxes formally, you will simply not do it. too costly, too burdensome, too complicated and worst of all to what end?
The mobilization of youth participation in business is a critical success factor that needs to be re-enforced. Many countries are struggling with policies of inclusive economic articipayion and perhaps the panel can suggest how that could be supported. Through my organisation, Y-AGE we are mobilizing private sector collaboration with government to support youth related entrepreneurial activities.
Africa need to focus on youths, simple get the youths involve in entrepreneurship, for long women have been the only focus, it is high time we seriously turn our focus on the youths, harnessing thier potentials especially in 'knowledge economy' and promoting youth involvement in agriculture and forestry, by making these sector more attractive. Simple programme like mainstreaming the activiities and initiatives of youths in the informal sector, bringing them to the mainstream, empowering them through BDS and FS will help reduce the chronic poverty faced the African youth. Let African government be more serious about investing in the youths.
This is a most excellent point. Perhaps creating “associations” to speak for small business might help provide the required voice?
Getting youth involved is indeed important. Perhaps a collation of women and youth?
The urge to deplete Africa as other countries is HUGE. And with Chinas size can even be unintentional. Our tendency to follow the past also puts Africa’s resources at risk-the current slaughter of elephants in Taszania is poof of this. Being strong in protecting the environment and wildlife now will pay HUGE dividends in the future. The push for roads in Kenya that would decimate the migrations is yet another challenge and example of the tension between old ways of “progress” and current needs.
Wanja, if you are interested in DFID-funded private sector development programmes you might be interetsed in looking at Business Innovation Facility website. There you can find both rural and urban case studies.
Following the comment about DFID’s shift to put the private sector at the heart of its development approach, I think that’s a shift we are seeing across the donor landscape which is encouraging. US development agencies, such as USAID and MCC, are making business partnerships a central part of their strategies, and African institutions are prioritizing business-led development as well—whether the African Development Bank and its focus on infrastructure or CAADP/Grow Africa and the push for cross-sector partnerships in the agriculture sector.
What we are trying to do, as an NGO focused on increasing business investment and enterprise growth to boost Africa’s development, is to work with companies to identify where their commercial interests overlap with development objectives. By taking a comprehensive look at the gaps or barriers that are inhibiting investment, for example along specific agricultural value chains or with burdensome regulatory structures, and then convening the right partners to approach the problem holistically, we are bringing together the various elements of capacity building, financing, policy reform, etc. and the players that can make a difference. We are also working to help companies measure their socioeconomic impact—an important element of good business planning as well as building strategic relationships with partners and other stakeholders. For more information, visit www.igdleaders.org.
Teaching African the values to being sustainable, and ability to sustain themselves is the key to the development in Africa.
I believe in my people, I believe in the ability of our African women to empower, build and educate.
The reason why I am who I am, it’s because a woman (mom), believed, worked and made it happen for me.
Md since I am aware that, not many people have the same lucky, I would love to provide them with the ability to get knowledge, educate themselves and be able to do competitive business in Africa.
Cause the people who really need help, do not need to be feed.
Only need to be though on how to help themselves.
we cannot wait for anyone we need to do it by ourselves and by equipping these local communities with all relevant tools to guide them towards better days . check this out it might help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orVhQyz34_M