Publication database

The off-grid solar energy industry is generating thousands of jobs across East, West and Central Africa as well as South Asia. GOGLA's latest report Off-Grid Solar. A Growth Engine for Jobs estimates the sector currently supports 370,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs across these four regions. With investments and the right policies, the off-grid solar sector could create 1.3 million FTE jobs across East, West and Central Africa as well as South Asia by 2022.

This report presents 14 founders of Inclusive Businesses in different countries /regions of the world. The reader gets an insight into the specific business concepts as well as into their personal history and motives of the entrepreneurs.

This report includes a set of 31 case studies on IFC’s portfolio companies with inclusive business models. The presented companies are profitably providing goods, services, and livelihood opportunities to the Base of the Pyramid. In the case studies the reader gets an insight in the specific background of the companies, the business models as well as drivers for the specific business models and results of the latter.

This case study focuses on Temaso, a joint-venture between the French oil and electricity companies TOTAL and Electricite de France (EDF). TEMASOL was created in 2002 within the framework of a national program championed by Morocco’s National Electricity Office (ONE) aiming at electrifying rural regions of the country. The report describes the market and location context of Temasol, the business model including its funding, constraints and solutions, impacts, and future outlook.

This case study focuses on the programme Maison Energie (ME), initiated and funded by UNDP in collaboration with many private and public organisations and associations. Maison Energie supports local people to set up micro-enterprises that sell photovoltaic systems, solar water heaters and ovens in rural and peri-urban areas. Several organisations both public and private are involved in selecting, training and supporting these entrepreneurs in the development of their business plan, creation and implementation of their ME microenterprise. The report describes the market and location context, the business model, constraints and solutions and the results.

This report focuses on key issue areas that need to be addressed to move the field of inclusive business forward. 14 different cases of companies which operate in a range of different countries and industry sectors are analysed and a first look provides a preliminary analysis of the drivers, results, and key elements these inclusive business models share.

This case study reviews LYDEC, a project that provides access to essential services (electricity, water and wastewater collection) to the inhabitants of Casablanca. It discusses how the project improves, at a low cost, the water quality, electricity and sanitation services; the challenges it has encountered; and the development impact to date.

This article on Creating Sustainable Local Enterprise Networks describes how successful inclusive businesses often include networks of companies, not-for-profit organizations and communities.