Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Archives

New Research Sheds Light on the Digital Gender Gap

The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, in partnership with Intuit, has published cutting-edge research, revealing the challenges, motivations and opportunities for women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries in 2023, strongly linked to digital access and experiences. Here, the Foundation’s CEO, Dhivya O’Connor, shares the report’s key findings and calls for urgent action from the private sector to support women’s entrepreneurship and digital inclusion.

Gender, Gender-Based Violence, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Technology

March 7, 2024

Why Empowering Women is Smart Economics

TRANSFORM’s initiative in Ethiopia exemplifies the powerful impact of empowering women in entrepreneurship. By supporting projects like Kidame Mart, TRANSFORM not only aids individual success stories like Mestawet’s but also fosters community development, economic growth, and gender equality, demonstrating the far-reaching benefits of investing in women’s potential.

Business, Gender, Livelihoods and Jobs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

January 17, 2024

Lifting Participation: Female Entrepreneurs Tackle Climate Change – with Bill Winters and Audrey S-Darko

Standard Chartered’s Group Chief Executive, Bill Winters and Futuremaker Audrey S-Darko on entrepreneurship, climate change & women in tech.

Climate & Environment, Climate Action, Climate Justice, Corporate Impact, Finance and Investment, Gender, Measuring Social Impact, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Enterprises, Technology

December 12, 2023

Social Entrepreneurs Advancing the SDGs Through Systems Change Strategies

Discover how social entrepreneurs are driving sustainable development in Africa through the “Roots of Change” report by Ashoka. This insightful analysis highlights strategies for systemic change, addressing key challenges like poverty, youth unemployment, and climate vulnerability.

Global Goals, Measuring Social Impact, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Enterprises

November 30, 2023

Unlocking Women’s Economic Power isn’t Rocket Science

Rathi Mani-Kandt’s article reveals the untapped economic potential of women entrepreneurs. As CARE USA’s Director, she highlights how investing in women could boost the global economy by $10 trillion by 2030. This insightful piece emphasises women’s pivotal role in driving global economic growth and prosperity.

Finance and Investment, Gender, Livelihoods and Jobs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

November 23, 2023

Empowering Ghanaian Women in Sustainable Shea Trading

Shea trading does nothing to lift women producers in Ghana above the UN poverty line. The Dipaliya Return on Extraction business model changes all that, empowering women, providing fair wages, and enabling community investments. Dipaliya stands for ethical and regenerative shea trading in Ghana.

Agriculture, Climate & Environment, Corporate Impact, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Gender, Innovative Business Models, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

October 30, 2023

Introducing the Strive Community Small Business Evidence Map

Strive Community has launched the first version of their Small Business Evidence Map, a tool that charts the impact of digital and data-first support on small businesses. A resource for organisations that support small businesses to go digital, allowing users to understand the current state of evidence and explore more about what does—and doesn’t—have an impact on small businesses.

Corporate Impact, Livelihoods and Jobs, Measuring Social Impact, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Technology

October 30, 2023

The Business of Care: Standard Chartered Interview

To mark the first UN endorsed International Day for Care (29 Oct) we have published a series of in-depth interviews, conducted as part of the research for a new report on how multinationals can better support care economy enterprises.

Care Economy, Corporate Impact, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Education, Gender, Innovative Business Models, Livelihoods and Jobs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

October 26, 2023

Global Goals Summit 2023 – Day 1 – Fireside 1

Building an Equitable and Resilient Future Watch our Fireside Chat with Visa Inc and the Harvard Kennedy School Corporate Responsibility Initiative to explore the trends shaping business

Global Goals, Health, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

September 29, 2023

Catalysing Female Entrepreneurship and Improving Access to Healthcare

Our workshop with Reckitt and WiNFUND is an opportunity to learn from 6 entrepreneurs from across Africa, and hear the speakers’ insights on how

Global Goals, Health, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Partnerships

September 29, 2023

Global Goals Summit 2023 – Day 2 – Workshop 4

Catalysing female entrepreneurship and improving access to healthcare Our workshop with Reckitt and WiNFUND is an opportunity to learn from 6 entrepreneurs from across

Global Goals, Health, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

September 29, 2023

Weathering COVID-19: Small and Micro Businesses in Pakistan

Amid the pandemic, women entrepreneurs suffered due to school closures and business shutdowns, highlighting gender inequalities and SDG challenges. Seizing hope from stories like Seema, who embraced digital tools, calls for collaborative efforts. Southern Voice’s article enriches SDG discussions with diverse Global South perspectives, advocating for inclusive policies and knowledge-sharing to empower women entrepreneurs

Corporate Impact, Gender, Global Goals, Health, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

August 24, 2023

Eco-Green Teens Project: Empowering Nigerian Youth for Sustainable Agriculture

The Eco-Green Teens Project, initiated by a team in Nigeria, addresses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on food insecurity and rising prices. Through financial literacy and sustainable agriculture education, rural teenagers learned to cultivate staple foods and embrace a bio-circular economy. Empowered by the Global Youth Mobilization, the program fosters entrepreneurship and addresses UN SDGs.

Agriculture, Climate & Environment, Climate Action, Climate Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Education, Finance and Investment, Global Goals, Health, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

August 11, 2023

Investors and Female Entrepreneurs, with Sanjukta and Heather

Attention investors and female entrepreneurs. Heather Matranga & Sanjukta Mitra share why <2% of investment goes to female-led businesses.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Finance and Investment, Gender, Measuring Social Impact, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Enterprises

August 10, 2023

NGOs Pivot Towards Innovation, with Isaac of Zeraki and Paul of Save the Children

Social Impaction Pioneers Isaac Nyangolo of Zeraki and Paul Ronalds from Save the Children’s Global Ventures explain NGO innovation.

Business, Fostering Leadership, Innovative Business Models, Measuring Social Impact, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Enterprises

August 1, 2023

Rebuilding from Failure: The Journey to Success and Purpose – with Daniel Mangena

Daniel Mangena, shares his insights on rebuilding from failure, recharging, finding purpose, and overcoming adversity.

Corporate Impact, Fostering Leadership, Measuring Social Impact, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

July 31, 2023

It Takes Partnership and Innovation to Close the Financing Gap for Small-Scale Farmers

Smallholder dairy farmers face numerous challenges due to limited opportunities to secure funds that could help them grow and invest in essential assets for boosting their profitability and transition to regenerative business practices. So, how can innovation and partnership step in to bridge this gap?

Agriculture, Finance and Investment, Livelihoods and Jobs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Partnerships

July 26, 2023

Food Technology Can Feed the World, So Says Social Impact Pioneer Donna Rosa

Donna’s high-flying career in food technology and nutritional science would have been enough for most of us. Instead, Donna then switched to helping entrepreneurs in emerging markets be more successful and scale their business. If nothing else this conversation is an inspiring journey revealing that a combination of science, technology, and business expertise can create positive social impact in the world.

Agriculture, Food and Nutrition, Measuring Social Impact, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Technology

May 15, 2023

Tackling Digital and Financial Exclusion: Women Vendors Raising Themselves Out of Poverty with Social Media Marketing

Women micro-entrepreneurs in Nairobi’s informal settlements struggle to get online and access the credit they need. Hand in Hand and Visa Inc.’s groundbreaking ‘acceleration’ programme tackled digital and financial exclusion, boosting participants’ profits by an average of 95%. Lucy Kerei, Programme Manager at Hand in Hand, Eastern Africa, shares how.

Finance and Investment, Gender, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Technology

April 28, 2023

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

SMEs Against Global Poverty