Middleman — the very term itself is associated with extra hoops to jump through, farmers being cheated, and limited value being offered to farmers and value chains generally. The idea of cutting out the middleman is frequently thought of as a selling point, casting these intermediaries as the “bad guys” of the value chain, worth…
Ebola has a case fatality rate of approximately 50 to 70 percent. Although it has been more than 40 years since the first-ever case of the Ebola virus in humans was diagnosed, there is still no licensed, specific treatment for the disease. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa took the lives of thousands, left…
Information and communication technology (ICT) is crucial for many projects. I see this firsthand working on the USAID E-PESO activity, which contributes to broad-based growth and financial inclusion in the Philippines by accelerating the shift to digital payments. The project aims to increase digital payments from 2 percent to 20 percent of payments by 2020 by…
It’s World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), so I should probably start by saying: I’m a huge advocate of breastfeeding. It can be a lovely way for a mother and baby to bond, and it offers a wonderful source of nutrition to a growing infant. It appears to have many benefits to mothers and babies and a positive impact on…
Tourism is an industry with the capability to transform international development. Tourism is the largest service industry globally, accounting for nearly 10 percent of global GDP. Nearly 293 million jobs, or one in eleven jobs around the world, are within the tourism sector. Tourism is currently featured in three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),…
In this blog series highlighting youth economic opportunity, these young entrepreneurs reflect on their experience with youth-led private sector development. Can you tell us about your background working in youth development and your career goals? Gratian Nareeba: As an entrepreneur and a market systems development scholar, I am passionate about inclusive growth and market-driven social…
This post is the second of a two-part blog series, originally featured on Microlinks, showcasing a question and answer session with Christy Sisko, technical manager for Asia and Middle East Economic Growth Best Practices at Chemonics, on the revenue capital approach and its revolutionary effect on the small and medium enterprise (SME) financing world. This…
A successful supply chain doesn’t only rely on product availability or system management. Responding to the global health challenges of today and tomorrow will require going beyond the foundational building blocks of a supply chain to create a system that can work more quickly, effectively, and seamlessly. Recently, supply chain practitioners from around the world…
Refocusing on distribution sector performance While central governments’ efforts in sub-Saharan Africa — with the support of the donor community — often focus on reducing risks to investment in new generation, the long-term financial and political sustainability of increased energy access depends equally on the success of local distribution companies. As noted in Mark Tomlinson’s…
Around the world, mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters support the resiliency of their communities in the face of adversity and inequality. As a member of the business development team in the East and Southern Africa Division at Chemonics, I’m exposed to the cross-cutting interventions designed to support women throughout our work across all technical areas.…
This post is the first of a two-part blog series, originally featured on Microlinks, showcasing a question and answer session with Christy Sisko, technical manager for Asia and Middle East Economic Growth Best Practices at Chemonics, on the revenue capital approach and its revolutionary effect on the small and medium enterprise (SME) financing world. This…
In the late ‘80s, I set off for Nigeria to prepare a team of trainers who would eventually facilitate week-long courses on supervisory skills for family planning supervisors under the USAID-funded Family Health Services project. I had never been to Nigeria, or anywhere else in Africa for that matter. By that time, I had a…