In this section, we will update you with announcements from the ecosystem of inclusive business, pre-selected according to their relevance for inclusive business ventures.
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Aboitiz Group chief executive officer Sabin Aboitiz was chosen by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to lead and convene the private sector to help government meet its economic objectives. The newly established council aims to help government implement a robust infrastructure program, create more jobs, digitize processes, improve agricultural productivity, and ensure an equitable, sustainable, and inclusive business landscape for Filipinos.
In the impact investing ecosystem, SME focused investing currently doesn’t look to be getting enough traction, according to experts. “Despite the huge potential of impact investing in the MSME sector and its huge credit challenges, it seems that financing for SMEs has become predominantly the job of the Indian banking system,” said Shachindra Nath, Vice-Chairman & MD of fintech platform UGRO.
The Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) Grand Challenge South and Southeast Asia Regional Hub (S/SEA RIH) has announced the 13 winners of the second S/SEA Call for Innovations. A total of $1.97 million in grants will be divided amongst the innovators. In addition to the grants, innovators will receive technical assistance and investment facilitation.
The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), Ashoka, and Social Innovation Circle with sponsorship from Boehringer Ingelheim have launched the African Healthcare Funders Forum. The first-of-its-kind year-long gathering of Africa’s leading funders and social entrepreneurs will drive the transformation of the African healthcare sector. The forum is dedicated to bridging the current healthcare funding gap and advancing innovative financing models.
The 7.5 million Canadian dollar (or approximately six million USD) project will be implemented over a 5-year period. It seeks to promote circular economy-based and inclusive business models, particularly among women and the youth, while finding innovative ways to reduce negative environmental impacts.
Habitat for Humanity and Holcim have signed a strategic partnership agreement to pilot an inclusive business model aimed at addressing affordable housing challenges in Mexico.
Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo emphasized that the recently approved Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP) will sustain the momentum towards economic recovery, saying SIPP will create and recover jobs for Filipinos. The SIPP’s Tier I contains the preferred activities under the 2020 IPP, which include all qualified activities relating to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. This explicitly includes Incluisve Business.
The power of the social economy to address global crises will be pushed on to the agenda of the World Economic Forum this week, as a landmark report is presented to global leaders when they meet in Davos. The report, Unlocking the Social Economy: Towards an inclusive and resilient society, published by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship today seeks to convince heads of state, corporate leaders and the general public of the potential of the social economy to tackle the world’s most urgent crises.
On the 5th and 6th May 2022, the city of Strasbourg hosted the European Conference “The Social Economy, the Future of Europe”. The event, that can be considered as the most important EU social economy summit in 2022, gathered over 2000 registered participants from all over Europe and other regions of the world.
Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), a network of investment funds dedicated to African entrepreneurs, has revealed its intention to develop an impact investment fund dedicated to small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) as well as Guinean startups. IPDEV 2, a program established by I&P with the goal of building African investment funds to finance very small and medium-sized firms in the local economic fabric, will lead this initiative.