December 15, 2022, Mysore, India — We are in the Decade of Action — a short window to 2030, the date by which society must make significant progress on achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or face irreversible consequences. Chemonics believes that meeting this vital mission of making the planet more sustainable and…
Digital technology is transforming the way people and organizations connect and conduct business, and this transformation’s impacts on the economy are significant. Despite these advances, digital transformation is not reaching people equally around the world. In this technical brief, we present four considerations for advancing the digital economy based on our experiences applying them in three projects in Colombia,…
Climate change is a global crisis that threatens every aspect of economic growth. Since enterprises are drivers of economic growth, applying market-based approaches that use business models and market forces to address development and humanitarian challenges more sustainably and at scale is essential for building climate-resilient and sustainable economies. Market-based approaches will need strong collaboration across technical sectors and market actors,…
This September, Chemonics held its second annual company-wide contest to identify innovative approaches and solutions that drive locally led development. The contest encouraged all members of Chemonics’ global workforce to share how they center local communities and users in inclusive design. Submissions included examples of project teams engaging the public and private sectors, civil society,…
Access to mobile technology and the internet can help boost gross domestic product (GDP) through job creation and greater productivity, increasing access to markets, services, and information. However, despite the global adoption of technology over the last decade, access and use have not been equally distributed. There are still almost 3 billion people currently unconnected,…
Juan Baltasar Mejía Delgado is the deputy chief of party for the Alliance for Root Causes and Opportunities Activity (ARCO). He has 19 years of experience promoting sustainable economic development by applying demand/market-driven solutions in supporting agricultural producers, fishermen, and micro, small, and medium enterprises; working in higher education and workforce development; and consulting in…
Tatiana Ramos Maza is the chief of party of Alliance for Root Causes and Opportunities Activity (ARCO). She is an international development leader with over 30 years of experience managing sustainable development projects. She joined Chemonics in September 2022 to lead ARCO, an alliance between USAID and the International Development Agency of the Government of…
Jacqueline Goodwin McDuffie (Jacqui) serves Chemonics as Controller. She brings more than thirty years of experience in finance and accounting, twenty-nine of which have been with Chemonics. Jacqui started her Chemonics tenure in the Field Accounting Team. She assisted with establishing the Treasury department, where she implemented the first online banking platform utilizing ACH and…
Money is going digital, full steam ahead. Within the past five years, interest around Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) has exploded. Nearly 100 CBDCs are currently in research or development stages, with CBDCs in Nigeria and the Bahamas already launched. Unlike volatile cryptocurrency assets (e.g., bitcoin and stablecoins), CBDCs offer promising development benefits through central…
There is increasing pressure on International Finance Institutions (IFI) and Development Finance Institutions (DFI) to drive market additionality and creation in lower-income countries and emerging market economies. These institutions regard market creation as key to closing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) financing gap. Market creation requires development finance actors to invest in small- and early-stage…
Every day, people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras leave their homes to embark on a perilous journey through Mexico to the United States, driven by both a lack of employment opportunities and the impacts of climate change. To address the root causes of irregular migration stemming from the region, the United States and Mexican governments…
Conflict narratives in fragile states are often framed by identity groups or other non-state actors along ideological or ethno-sectarian lines to achieve political ends. But in many instances, the main grievances of populations in affected communities are centered around basic dignity and livelihoods. Non-state actors, including violent extremists, often try to capitalize on these grievances…