Publication database

This case study looks at A to Z Textile Mills of Tanzania, an African producer of long-lasting insecticide bed nets (LLINs). It reviews the partners involved in the model; the elements of the business model including distribution and production; and the developmental impacts involved.

This case study reviews the Sustainable Healthcare Foundation which established child & family wellness shops in Kenya, to provide affordable care to low-income people for common medical ailments such as malaria and diarrhoea. It discusses the business model; challenges and opportunities; and the development impacts to date.

This case study highlights the Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (ITFC) which cultivates organic mangoes for local and export markets. It discusses the need, challenges and impacts for an outgrower scheme which would reduce poverty by providing local people with a sustainable income-generating venture through organic mango production.

This case study discusses fair trade cotton initiatives helping poor Malian farmers sustain their production and earn substantial revenue. It provides a background on the global cotton market; the evolution of the fair-trade supply chain; the development impacts of the fair-trade approach; and the key innovations in the sector.

This case study reviews Tiviski Dairy consumer goods company in Mauritania which specialises in goat, camel and cow milk products. It discusses the business model; challenges and opportunities; and the development impacts to date.

This case study looks at the Rural Energy Services Companies (RESCOs) model which facilitated companies to install and manage local electricity generating systems to help increase access to energy, stimulate local economic activity and reduce poverty. It reviews the business models of two such companies; their innovations and successes; and scaling opportunities.

This case study presents a business model of Barclays Bank that connects modern finance with Susu collection in Ghana. It examines how the Barclays Ghana initiative augments the Susu collection scheme and shows some of the key challenges associated with scaling up such an initiative.

This report reviews four independent Gatsby trusts in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Cameroon, in which the broad objectives were to promote self-employment, provide loan finance to support micro-businesses and underpin grassroots economic activity. All trusts got involved differently depending on the local circumstances and challenges in the countries, and this review discusses the varying paths and journeys each took.

This paper deals with two GTZ programmes which offer pro-poor services in value chain promotion. The first case is a programme of private sector development in Kenya which gives insights into the challenges, lessons learned and the impact of the programme based on a survey. The second case explores the transaction costs of knowledge management, learning and communication in value chains through the example of a speciality coffee value chain of FAPECAFES in Ecuador.

This paper analyses the tourism value chain in order to understand and encourage pro-poor growth of the tourist sector in The Gambia. The central finding is that about 14 percent of the Gambian part of the value chain flows directly into the hands of poor people – a much larger pro-poor outcome than expected.