Publication database

BIF engages with businesses either by first identifying a market in which to operate, and then finding appropriate companies with whom to work; or by identifying multinationals that are looking to innovate, and then introducing a programme to develop the market in which they are working. This report explores examples from both of these strands and distils learning from three countries.

This report summarises the findings of a study which assessed the potential for the development of renewable energy resources at the three estates operated by Global Tea Commodities Ltd (GTC) in Malawi.

This report looks at eight different models that CARE has explored to connect savings groups with formal financial services including Barclays, Vision Finance, Vodacom and Mwanga Community Bank, Orange and Equity Bank and Jubilee Insurance. It recommends that customer protection must be maintained, and it outlines a set of ‘Linkage Principles’ that CARE has designed to help guard their interests.

This case study explores the business model, development impacts and commercial results of MEGA, the first privately-owned micro-hydro energy provider in Malawi that produces and distributes micro-hydro electricity to consumers in the Mulanje Mountain area. It reviews the challenges to reach scale and achieve financial sustainability whilst adhering to the company's founding principles of providing affordable, available, sustainable electricity to BoP consumers.

This note provides an introduction to the key issues agribusinesses should consider in the context of climate change. It outlines the Climate Change Strategy Development Framework (CCSDF) - a user-friendly tool to support decision-making - and it summarises the initial outcomes from adoption of the CCSDF by agribusinesses in Malawi and Zambia.

This report provides an overview of the biofuels debate with a particular focus on the biodiesel crop Jatropha Curcas. It looks at the impact of Jatropha production on smallholders in Zambia and the experience of Bio Energy Resources Ltd operating in Malawi.

This report examines how one type of Japanese private sector development support, the one-village one-product (OVOP) approach, fits with other donor approaches and how it relates to the development of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). It discusses the origin and academic context of OVOP; it reviews issues in the evaluation of the OVOP approach; and it includes a brief assessment of OVOP in Malawi.