Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming our world, and its potential to reshape development, especially in emerging markets and developing economies, is nothing short of revolutionary. But this isn’t just about getting AI to help with scheduling or recipe recommendations, it’s about real change, real challenges, and monumental opportunities.
Continue readingImagine stopping by your favorite grocery store only to find barren shelves and shockingly
high prices. This scenario is not as unlikely as you might think. Global supply chains, largely unseen by ordinary consumers, work 24/7 across the globe to ensure that products are available at reasonable prices.
On May 28, we mark World Menstrual Hygiene Day, a time to spotlight the importance
of menstrual health, which must be recognized as the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of women and girls in relation to the menstrual cycle. Menstrual hygiene is the ability of women and adolescent girls to manage their menstruation in a hygienic manner, with dignity, using clean menstrual absorbents, and having access to facilities for changing in privacy, as well as for washing their bodies and hands.
Entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in economic development. Understood as the activities of an individual or a group of individuals aimed at initiating an economic enterprise, entrepreneurship creates jobs, fosters innovation, improves productivity. However, disparities exist between the economies worldwide when it comes to entrepreneurship. Which economies have the highest rates of entrepreneurship? How have entrepreneurship rates evolved in recent years?
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Given the global concern about the existential threat posed by climate change, government subsidies aimed at spurring green technologies and the green transition—from solar panels to electric vehicles—can play a greater role. And the number of subsidies with green objectives is indeed increasing, according to the World Bank’s new Green Subsidies Database.
Continue reading Today we are sharing a newsletter produced by the IFC. Its a great read , please subscribe. Welcome to the latest edition of TechEmerge Innovation Exchange! In this issue, we announce details of a new multi-million dollar IFC sustainable cooling initiative that will expand on the work of TechEmerge. We share an update on our newest pilots and celebrate fundraising success for one of our high-potential innovators. We also spotlight a TechEmerge adopter hitting the headlines for its work combatting food waste in Kenya and a new – and tasty – pilot in Mexico. Please don’t forget, you can contact us with any questions via techemerge@ifc.org. And if you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with your peers and colleagues. All the best, The TechEmerge Team New Sustainable Cooling Initiative to Build on TechEmerge Success  IFC has announced the signing of a new $12.7 million Sustainable Cooling Initiative with the UK’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero that will build on the success of the TechEmerge Sustainable Cooling Innovation program. The new initiative will have an expanded scope of operations, focusing not only on innovative technologies but on transformative cooling systems. This includes solutions for district cooling, space cooling, manufacturing and innovation, cold chains and temperature-controlled logistics, and finance for consumers and small and medium enterprises. While this is a global initiative, the initial priority countries include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Pakistan, and Turkiye. Read more here. Update: New Cooling Pilots Underway!  Seventeen new pilots have been approved for the next phase of the TechEmerge Sustainable Cooling Innovation program, with 14 innovators from across the world teaming up with 13 leading local companies in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. With technical support and grant funding from TechEmerge and our donor, the United Kingdom Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, these new pilot partners will field test cooling innovations that aim to reduce energy consumption, operating costs, and greenhouse gas emissions. TechEmerge Innovator Ecozen Raises $30 million  TechEmerge Innovator Ecozen plans to expand its offerings and extend its market reach in Africa and Southeast Asia, after successfully raising $30 million. This latest injection of debt and equity comes from Nuveen Global Fund and other equity investors, with debt support from InCred Credit Fund and the International Development Finance Corporation. India-based Ecozen participated in a TechEmerge pilot in Nigeria with Agvest Limited and engineering company Lange & Grant to field test a portable solar-powered cold room for fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural commodities. The company says it has grown fivefold over the past two years, with a threefold increase in profit, and aims to double its revenue in 2024-25. Read more here. In the News: TechCrunch Profiles TechEmerge Adopter  Kenya’s Farm to Feed is in the headlines, with the well-known publication TechCrunch highlighting its efforts to curb food waste. Farm to Feed is a digitally-enabled aggregator that sources imperfect and surplus produce from farmers. It is partnering in a unique TechEmerge pilot with three innovators: it will test Greentech’s medium and short-haul transport solution to collect produce from farms, Purix’s cold storage innovation for warehousing of produce, and Eja-ice’s last-mile transport solution. Collectively, this pilot aims to increase produce shelf-life and reduce losses throughout the supply chain. Read more here. Pilot Spotlight: A Taste of Success in Mexico’s Berry Fields  Israeli innovator NOF has partnered with Aneberries, Mexico’s largest cooperative of berry growers, to pilot a new post-harvest cooling solution. Initial results from trials in 20 berry fields indicate that berries that received NOF treatment maintained saleable quality, size, color, firmness, and freshness for almost twice as long as those that did not. Shelf-life in cold storage also doubled from 10 to 20 days, while the sugar content of the berries was generally higher as well. NOF and Aneberries are now developing the business case for commercializing the innovation.  IFC’s TechEmerge is implemented in partnership with the UK Government’s Department of Energy and Net Zero If you received this newsletter from a friend or colleague subscribe here to stay connected.  Follow IFC Disruptive Technologies & Funds |
Caught in the crosshairs of escalating global crises, Small Island Developing
States (SIDS) meet May 27-30, 2024, together with the international community, to discuss ways to tackle issues including their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, exposure to pollution, and economic headwinds.
Carbon pricing can be one of the most powerful tools available to policymakers to incentivize reducing emissions as part of an integrated policy mix. A decade ago, carbon pricing policies covered only 7% of global emissions. Today, nearly a quarter are covered by these instruments.
Continue readingWashington D.C., May 28, 2024—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today launched a new initiative to help financial service providers deliver funds to small businesses in emerging markets, especially those owned by women and those focused on agriculture and climate.
The MSME Finance Platform (the Platform) will include a financing package of up to $4 billion from IFC’s own account to banks, non-bank financial institutions, microfinance institutions, and innovative digital lenders that focus on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). It will be available to both new and existing IFC clients.
As part of our efforts to become a better Bank, one that’s fit for purpose to meet the needs of the countries we support and to end poverty on a livable planet, the World Bank is transforming its approach to knowledge. We’re putting the client, those living in developing countries, at the heart of our knowledge work.
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Netherlands for the World Bank 