Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Archives

New Research Reveals the Benefits and Costs of Gender-Smart Technical Assistance to SMEs and Investors

From 2019-2022, impact investors, AlphaMundi Foundation, Acumen, AHL Venture Partners, Root Capital, SEAF and Shell Foundation launched the Gender-Smart Enterprise Assistance Research Coalition (G-SEARCh) consortium to conduct new research in the gender lens investing community. Read more on their findings of the missed opportunities for impact investors and companies.

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

January 18, 2023

Why the Burden on Business Women to ‘do it all’ Must Stop

Gender norms are stunting women-led enterprises, as revealed in a new report from CARE’s Ignite program. The research confirms that women entrepreneurs worldwide are so bound by gender norms, they often cannot grow their businesses – meaning less income for the household, less employment in the community and less money into the local economy.

Corporate Impact, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Gender, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

December 14, 2022

Stronger Together: How the Food Fortification Ecosystem Can Fight Malnutrition

What do the World Food Programme, BASF, Royal DSM and Nigeria Flour Mills have in common? They all recognize the key role of small-scale and medium-sized millers to bring food fortification to scale, as part of national strategies to combat malnutrition.

Food and Nutrition, Health, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

November 30, 2022

Fairtrade and Climate Justice with Juan Pablo

How can fairtrade help create climate justice? This podcast forms part of a series – examining how business addresses climate justice. Together we hear ways companies can put people at the heart of their climate action. We record this podcast from the climate conference – COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Agriculture, Business, Climate & Environment, Climate Justice, Livelihoods and Jobs, Measuring Social Impact, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

November 16, 2022

Making the Care Economy Everyone’s Business

Help us drive gender equity: Please take our survey to help us better understand business motivations for addressing the care economy and how entrepreneurs innovating in this space could support your business.

Care Economy, Gender, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Enterprises

October 12, 2022

Understanding Sustainable Finance with Namita Vikas

Sustainable finance; blended finance; and green loans are just a few terms that we will be unwrapping in this podcast. Get ready for a 101 in sustainable finance – the tools financial experts are using to accelerate the money we need to fund commercially viable social and environmental impacts. And in particular, we will be deep diving into how to unlock finance for a green transition – so that no one is left behind in the transition to a green economy.

Climate Justice, Finance and Investment, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

October 4, 2022

Accelerating Development Entrepreneurs, with Richenda Van Leeuwen

How do you unlock the social impact potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? And how can development entrepreneurs maximise their success? Meet social impact pioneer Richenda Van Leeuwen, Executive Director of ANDE – The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs.

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

September 28, 2022

Becoming a Social Entrepreneur, with Kevin Mutiso

How to become a social entrepreneur? Meet social impact pioneer Kevin Mutiso. Kevin is a serial entrepreneur, whose businesses repeatedly get selected as top start-ups across Africa.

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

September 26, 2022

Network of Small-Scale farmers in India Tackle Climate Change

This article shares the story of a network of small-scale farmers in India tackling climate change. It forms part of ANDE’s Stories of Climate Resilience: Small Businesses, Big Impact campaign, that showcases adaptation solutions to climate change driven by entrepreneurs.

Climate & Environment, Climate Justice, Gender, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

September 22, 2022

Effective Support for Women Entrepreneurs Goes Beyond Skills Training

When women’s businesses succeed, the benefits to their families and communities are substantial. However, obstacles like those faced by Bernadette are pervasive for women entrepreneurs, often preventing them from reaching their full economic and personal potential. Many women entrepreneurs lack access to the training and resources they need to help them develop their business skills.

Gender, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

September 22, 2022

New Report: Women Champion Forest Conservation in Bale, Ethiopia

A new report outlines how Farm Africa and SOS Sahel Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains Eco-region REDD+ forest conservation programme in Oromia, Ethiopia has achieved impressive results in its priority objectives of reducing deforestation, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing household incomes. It has also helped the community take significant strides towards advancing gender equality.

Agriculture, Climate & Environment, Climate Justice, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

September 20, 2022

Steps for improving incomes in banana supply chains

When it comes to boosting earnings for banana growers, only an approach that works for both smallholder farmers and plantation workers can deliver the results the industry really needs, says Naomi Somerville-Large, Senior Technical Lead at the Fairtrade Foundation

Agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

September 6, 2022

Advancing Gender Equality through Inclusive Distribution Networks

A new learning brief from IFC introduces how the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, including manufacturers, e-supply chain actors, investors, and development organizations, can advance gender equality within the distribution activities. The brief provides a market overview and presents an emerging business case, the challenges facing women distributors and retailers, and recommendations.

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

August 8, 2022

Turbo-charging D2C sales for an impact sanitation product

At Archipel&Co, we’ve been working on last mile sales and distribution and sanitation products and services for decades. We were thrilled at the opportunity to combine the two in supporting SATO by LIXIL to identify, prioritise and execute a channel strategy for market-based distribution and sales in Ghana. Explore the case study here.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Water and Sanitation

July 20, 2022

Eric Meade, Reframing Poverty

Meet Eric Meade, social impact pioneer and deep thinker about what poverty really means. During this conversation be prepared to rethink what poverty means to you and to others. Discover ways to better understand poverty, how others might be experiencing poverty. Apply this understanding to make better decisions and deliver deeper poverty-alleviating impacts.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Enterprises

July 5, 2022

Supporting refugees through financial inclusion

On Monday, World Refugee Day marked the start of Refugee Week (20-26th June) – a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Read on to learn more about a partnership between Comic Relief and Jersey Overseas Aid which has helped support some of the two billion people who lack access to formal financial services.

Finance and Investment, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Refugees and Migration

June 20, 2022

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

SMEs Against Global Poverty

How can business partner to help small retailers thrive? Lessons from the country-level