Blog

Investors are demanding more transparency and accountability from corporations as they look beyond the bottom line to understand an organization’s value and long-term sustainability. ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) provides shareholders with more effective management of material opportunities and risks. Virtually all major corporations report on ESG issues, and many small and medium enterprises are factoring it into their businesses.

This post was authored by William Martin of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), Laura Meissner of USAID BHA and the University of Arizona, and Melanie Mason of USAID BHA.

This blog is authored by John Rachkara, Deputy Chief of Party of the Rural Resilience Activity, John Daudu Ebile, Senior MIS/T4D Officer of the Rural Resilience Activity.

USAID CATALYZE Pay for Results Incentive Model Pays Off for a Financial Cooperative in Burkina Faso

USAID CATALYZE’s Private Sector Development Activity in partnership with Sri Lanka’s largest supermarket retailer Keells and Hatton National Bank (HNB) launched an innovative Supply Chain Financing Facility to support micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the food sector, improving the resilience of the supermarket’s supply chains and helping to meet MSMEs’ working capital needs.

USAID Collaborates with SLASSCOM to boost SME competitiveness In December, the USAID CATALYZE Private Sector Development (PSD) Activity partnered with the Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM) to conduct a five-session digital masterclass on using digital marketing to establish an online brand for 50 information and communication technology (ICT) professionals from 30 companies.

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is Sri Lanka’s only remaining primary tropical rainforest and home to the country’s highest concentration of endemic species of plants and animals, several of which are rare or endangered. Designated both a UNESCO Biosphere and World Heritage Site, the forest reserve’s health is critical to the country’s ecotourism industry. Sustainable ecotourism can accelerate economic growth through increased foreign exchange, employment, and business opportunities, and help countries reach development objectives while protecting their natural resources.

CARE’s Farmer Field and Business School (FFBS) model focuses on improving small-scale farmers’ productivity, resilience, and access to markets. FFBS is a hands-on, learning-by-doing approach through which groups of farmers meet regularly during the course of their value chain production cycle to learn about new agricultural techniques and to experiment these treatments on group-managed demonstration plots. Since 2014, FFBS has directly improved the lives of more than 2.5 million farmers and their families.

Even though USAID MBIOs have identified the value of engaging the private sector in the development sector (even consulted USAID’s PSE policy and the PSE Opportunities Tool), the problem of ‘where to begin’ and ‘how to operationalize private sector engagement’ remains a challenge for both U

This post was authored by the Feed the Future Advancing Women's Empowerment program and was originally published on Agrilinks.

Across Central America, the number and size of renewable energy power plants has grown exponentially in recent decades. In Honduras particularly, hydroelectric power plants have sprung up as the government looks for sustainable ways to generate energy and economic stability for communities across the country.

This post was authored by Justin van Rhyn and originally appeared on Springfield Centre.

This post was authored by the Feed the Future Advancing Women's Empowerment activity and originally appeared on Agrilinks.

The fourth iteration of the ‘Enduring Results Study’ (ERS) explores what drives enduring results in USAID’s partnerships with the private sector.

This article first appeared in NCBA CLUSA's Co-op Weekly Newsletter.  Peruvian market Thika Thani is revolutionizing grocery shopping in Lima and uplifting co-ops in the process. What started in 2015 as a singular boutique grocery store in Lima specializing in locally produced natural, organic, and artisanal products has expanded to four stores in Peru’s capital city and includes a thriving online marketplace. Thika Thani recently opened a store inside a large shopping center that became profitable in just one month.

This blog, written by Nika Larian, was originally posted on Agrilinks.

A nation’s ability to mobilize resources to combat and cope with climate change is primarily constrained by its resources and financial capacity, which vary dramatically across developing contexts.  While external sources of funding like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) are critical to meeting a nation’s Paris Agreement goals, they are often out of reach without domestic financial systems and processes to absorb such funds and use them productively.

This blog was authored by Jody Delichte, Ben Taylor, Solyana Amsalu. For any new technology, the early adopters are unlikely to be those at the bottom of the pyramid. This is even less likely where adopting that technology requires infrastructure, asset ownership, skills, and other preconditions. For programs that explicitly aim to benefit the poor, there is often a question of whether to support business models that do not immediately appear to benefit them.

How many times this week have you heard someone rave about an amazing mother who is simultaneously juggling her business with childcare, while running a household? This is constantly happening. Everywhere across the globe. We all do it – men and women. Glorifying multi-tasking by women entrepreneurs must stop.

This blog was authored by Tess Bayombong, Maria Adelma Montejo, Emily Janoch, Caitlin Shannon, and Tzusuan Peng. Women entrepreneurs who talk about success in their businesses in the Philippines have fascinating contributions to what success means. Cecile Corio describes an arc of resilience and equality: “I think of ways to recover (my business). Don’t lose trust in yourself. I started from nothing; I can prove that I can lead a better life. … My husband and I have a good give-and-take relationship.”

The relationship between international trade and the climate is complex. In the same way that trade liberalization can create “winners” and “losers,” international trade can mitigate or exacerbate climate change and its impacts. To reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve the commitments of the Paris Agreement, countries need to minimize the negative and maximize the positive effects of trade on the environment.

USAID CATALYZE Partners with Private Equity Fund to Ready SMEs for Private Investors Increasingly, global private investors are eyeing the Western Balkans as the potential for diversifying their portfolios. While private equity financing can raise working capital for a company through restructuring ownership and/or management, few small- and medium-sized business owners in the region are aware of, understand, or desire such a private equity model. In fact, many SME owners resist giving up power and ownership to outsiders.

By the USAID CATALYZE WEE team

Sri Lanka’s socioeconomic situation continues to worsen with rising costs and increased challenges in imports and exports due to ongoing supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s traditional artisans and the handloom industry have been hit hard.

This blog was authored by Rhea Dhar and Rachel Levine while interning at Chemonics International.