#private sector development

[raptured-night]

Do Security Robots Signal the Death of Public Space? | JSTOR Daily

A security robot targets the homeless, raising questions about whether private companies can expand their security detail to public spaces like sidewalks.

[adalidda]

Illustration Photo: Africa (Public Domain from Pixabay.com)

AfDB and Japan Announce US$3 Billion Private Sector Development Initiative to Boost Growth and Reduce Poverty in Africa

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Japan announced today they have set a joint target to provide US$ 3 billion for private sector development in Africa during the next three years, substantially increasing the resources devoted to boosting economic growth and fighting poverty in the region. The resources will be provided under the third phase of the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance for Africa (EPSA) initiative.

Japan will target to provide US$ 1.5 billion over 3 years through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The AfDB expects to finance at least an equal amount. On top of this, Japan is ready to provide an additional special allocation of US$ 300 million for co-financing with the AfDB to help African countries access the best low emitting clean coal technologies available.

Check more https://adalidda.net/posts/SY5ozBcBmQjTCuGZ2/afdb-and-japan-announce-ususd3-billion-private-sector

[customstoday]

EU launches program for Pakistani leather industry today

EU launches program for Pakistani leather industry today

ISLAMABAD: The European Union-funded Pakistan Leather Competitiveness Improvement Programme is likely to be launched today (Tuesday).

The programme is being launched under a three-phased Trade Related Technical Assistance Programme, Private Sector Development, (TRTA/PSD-III).

A ceremony will be held which would be attended by a significant number of senior EU and government officials.  The EU…

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[propem-noticiasdeinteres-blog]

Enrique Jacob Rocha señaló que “el Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto está convencido de que el emprendimiento y la innovación son el motor dinamizador del crecimiento de nuestra economía y del bienestar de los mexicanos” y destacó “la participación y colaboración clave de USAID, para encender la chispa del potencial emprendedor e innovador de los mexicanos a través de sus programas de desarrollo y crecimiento económico”.

El Presidente del Instituto Nacional del Emprendedor reiteró que, sin duda, estos programas serán aprovechados por los emprendedores mexicanos y servirán para continuar la labor de consolidación del entorno innovador y productivo de México.

[inspiringcapital]

Prevention is against human nature

I met with David Rice this morning, Managing Director of the Development Dividend, a research project based at NYU. He got a fellowship from the university to travel through southern Africa last summer and write case studies about the impact of private sector development. He covered a mining company in northern Mozambique and a telecom in Kenya, among others. 

This work, combined with David's earlier experience in development, including formative work with William Easterly, has led David and colleagues to establish Development Equity Partners (DEP). DEP works with private equity funds to facilitate the success of their investments in Africa. David described their task as overcoming the human disinclination to invest in prevention. Many clients seek assistance when a portfolio companies is on the verge of crisis, rather than when they make the investment. 

David and his colleagues at DEP use their long experience with local communities and international development to advise private sector investors about growing their portfolio companies. These efforts don't resemble traditional CSR, charity, or development work, which generally subsidize donor-driven efforts to remedy a cost of the company's activities. Instead, DEP identifies ways to improve the community where the company is working, delivering value for residents in the short-term and enhancing the company's prospects in the medium- and long-term. 

For example, a company might be loathe to invest in infrastructure, a shared good that the government "should" pay for with tax revenues collected from the company. However, using its own resources to better roads enhances the company's performance, as well as making life better for community members and thereby improving the company's reputation, providing a variety of follow-on benefits. Similarly, education provision might be seen as beyond the company's scope of responsibility, but will likely generate happier parents (employees) in the near-term, and a more educated workforce five to fifteen years down the road. As well as the immediate reputational benefits. 

I was glad to hear that David and his group are getting calls from private equity investors who are increasingly eager to capitalize on undeniable growth trend in Africa. Even if it takes a crisis to get them to call.