News

Inclusive Business was one of the three major topics at a Business Council for Sustainable Development Zimbabwe (BCSDZ) Workshop held at the end of March 2014 at Leopard Rock Hotel in the Vumba.
The Workshop was also the first such event for the newly re‐launched BCSDZ Branch in Manicaland, which is chaired by Mr Remington Mpande, a BCSDZ Councillor and Production Executive, Manica Boards & Doors (Pvt) Ltd. The other two topics at the Workshop were firstly, the new Green Industry Initiative in Zimbabwe and, secondly, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Why are so few inclusive businesses getting to scale? What are the barriers faced by these business? We at Monitor Inclusive Markets believe that inclusive businesses – businesses that engage the global poor as either customers or suppliers – can vastly improve the lives of millions who are suffering the consequences of global poverty. That is why we were so disappointed when in 2011 we surveyed 439 such firms in Africa and found that a mere 13% of them were at scale. Why is scale important?

There are currently some 500 million small-scale farmers, representing 90% of farmers worldwide, and producing about half of the world’s current food requirements. Feeding the projected 9 plus billion inhabitants of our planet in mid-century will require raising overall food production by some 70%.

40 companies, nearly 4 years of collaboration with the Business Innovation Facility, the last 4 months crunching data from an excel file too big for my machine to handle. Have we learnt enough to answer some really big questions that we all have about the reality of inclusive business?
Let's share five conclusions of the BIF team and see what you think:

In the portfolio of businesses supported by the Business Innovation Facility, we see the full range of success and failure. This report explores the reasons why some things did not go so well. What led to problems, and what can we learn from them? In the BIF portfolio, six businesses were approved for support but were cancelled before they got off the ground. Eight of those that received BIF support are stalled or on ice. The vast majority are progressing, but some progressing slowly.

Six business specialists from across CARE International answered the question: “What is your vision for inclusive business in 2014?” They identified 6 ambitious but achievable milestones for the new year that could change the future of inclusive business.
1. Banks become financial inclusion leaders:
2.5 billion people currently lack access to formal financial services. 2014 can be the year this changes.