12

Taking stock

How Covid-19 has impacted inclusive business companies and what has helped them adapt

SURVIVE and GROW TOGETHER

The corona pandemic shows us in a very throbbing way how intertwined the private sector, government and the people are. For many companies, in the formal and informal sector, it is pure survival. The numbers might differ from country to country but in the same way as Covid-19 hits us with different strength – from mild flu symptoms to severely sick until fatally ill – the corona pandemic hits the companies in different ways. Some are just struggling a bit but will survive whereas others are severely challenged and might not make it another few months until a vaccine is available. A smaller percentage, e.g. logistics and e-learning platforms, are even getting stronger during this crisis.

In the last six months quite a number of resources have been made available. They reach from providing information on what to do when such crisis hits your company to the development of new toolkits, platforms, alliances or providing access to financial and technical support. No one had a plan at the beginning of the crisis as there is no blueprint for such a worldwide catastrophe. Besides compassion and innovations, it became quite clear that the most needed component and key to overcome this crisis is collaboration. No one can go through this alone. The disruptive force of Covid-19 unites us at the same time globally in an almost enigmatic way. Or at least in a way that nobody would have thought of one year ago.

Building-back-better with more green and inclusive growth requires disruptive collaboration and partnerships and disruptive new frameworks and regulations. Inclusive businesses have shown that they are better equipped to deal with such crisis but much more needs to be done. While and after building-back we need frameworks and businesses that are better equipped to address such external shocks. New ways of collaboration between companies and governments are needed. We cannot expect that we will be innovative enough when we work together with the same partners as before and follow the same frameworks and regulations. This counts for the private sector but even much more for the public sector and other stakeholders of the Inclusive Business ecosystem. If this crisis teaches us that we can survive only when we collaborate and work together then we have also a new chance to grow together afterwards and become even stronger and more resilient than before the crisis. As a down-to-earth optimist I believe it is possible.

Christian Jahn
Christian is heading the iBAN secretariat and is responsible for the management of the global programme. Before Christian became the Executive Director of the Inclusive Business Action Network (iBAN) in September 2015, he was based for five years in Addis Ababa as Deputy Country Director of GIZ GmbH overseeing a broad portfolio including the private-public-partnership programmes. He has more than 20 years of experience in international development cooperation with a thematic focus on health systems, population dynamics and social franchise systems. He worked mainly in the Africa and Asia region as long-term and short-term expert and provided advisory services to the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. He also worked for five years in the private sector and was an entrepreneur and founder of a company in the food sector. Christian holds a Master degree and PhD in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin.

featured story

Adapting, innovating, building back better

How are inclusive business companies manoevering the Covid-19 pandemic? What challenges have they been facing – and how have they been able to adapt? For this issue of CLUED-iN, we have asked entrepreneurs about their experiences, their most valuable lessons learned, and their hopes for the post-Covid-19 future.

Katharina Münster

Table of contents

graphic summary

GRAPHIC SUMMARY

A visual summary of the most important lessons learned during the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Learn more about these aspects by reading this twelfth edition of the online magazine on inclusive business! The illustration was developed by…

editorial

SURVIVE and GROW TOGETHER

The crisis created by Covid-19 can only be overcome by disruptive collaboration, argues Christian Jahn. Cooperation must cut across sectors and surpass traditional partnerships. Only then can the crisis not only be managed but taken as a chance to advance inclusive growth and emerge more resilient.

Christian Jahn

feature story

Adapting, innovating, building back better

How are inclusive business companies manoevering the Covid-19 pandemic? What challenges have they been facing – and how have they been able to adapt? For this issue of CLUED-iN, we have asked entrepreneurs about their experiences, their most valuable lessons learned, and their hopes for the post-Covid-19 future.

Katharina Münster

Talking #InclusiveBiz No.1 – Finance and Covid-19

In the first-ever episode of the iBAN podcast, Nicholas Colloff, Executive Director of the Argidius Foundation, explains how the pandemic has affected impact investment and how companies should react.

Genashtim – Opportunities in times of crisis

Genashtim is an e-learning and digital service provider. Its employees come from marginalized communities – and work entirely from home. Thomas Ng, founder and CEO of the company, explains how this has helped Genashtim stay resilient during the pandemic and shares his insights on remote work.

Business Fights Poverty – Building Back Better

How can companies help mitigate the negative consequences of the pandemic and contribute to building back better? Katie Hyson, Director of Thought Leadership for Business Fights Poverty, provides ideas and shares valuable resources.

AFEX Nigeria – Leveraging technology to combat food insecurity

AFEX Nigeria strives to solve Africa's food insecurity problems. Hemense Orkar, Vice President of Commercial Operations, explains how Covid-19 has impacted the sector and how inclusive business companies can adapt.

Business for Inclusive Growth – Collaborating for impact

Covid-19 has hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Camille Putois, CEO of Business for Inclusive Growth, explains how companies can secure their supply chains and make a positive impact.

CEMEX – Supporting vulnerable communities

CEMEX is a building materials company supporting low-income families construct their own homes. Martha Herrera González, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, explains how collaboration and a focus around purpose have boosted the company’s resilience.