Investing for Impact

In this episode, we look back over our recent Insight events and ask what impact technology will have on economic growth on the African continent, and what challenges and opportunities it brings with it. We have a stellar line up of guests with expertise in investment, business and academia - you'll hear from:  Efosa Ojomo, Leader of the Global Prosperity research group at the Clayton Christensen Institute Dr Frannie Léautier, CEO of Southbridge Investment Fred Swaniker, Founder of the African Leadership Group Nikunj Jinsi, emerging markets venture capital investor Tenbite Ermias, Managing Director and Head of Africa at CDC Group Additional links: Subscribe to our Insight newsletter here 

We are on a summer break from hosting our regular events, so we thought we’d share some of our highlights from the last year of Insight. In this episode we’re focusing on the issue of climate change and in particular what our guests are thinking in the run up to COP26, which is taking place in November.  COP – which stands for Conference of the Parties – is a UN led global climate summit. And this year’s meeting will be held in Glasgow with the UK taking presidency.  Your guests for today's episode are:  Dr Tara Shine, environmental scientist Amal-Lee Amin, Director, Climate Change, at CDC Group Hans Peter Lankes, Visiting Professor in Practice, Grantham Research Institute John Elkington, author and entrepreneur Additional links: Subscribe to our Insight newsletter here 

India's has been one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic, particularly when it comes to case numbers. Clearly this has had a significant impact on businesses and their employees too.  In a large country, where workers can be regularly on the move or difficult to reach, it makes it hard for companies to communicate with people and provide access to information. In this podcast episode, we explore how three tech companies in India are responding to some of the challenges the pandemic has brought with it.  You will hear from:  Vishal Gahlaut, Co-Founder and CEO, Noticeboard Raghuram Talluri, Co-Founder and CEO, Loadshare Jo Aggerwal, Co-Founder and CEO, Wysa Additional links: Subscribe to our Insight newsletter here Read more about Loadshare's response to the pandemic here Read more about Noticeboard's response to the pandemic here 

Africa’s population is the youngest on earth and the fastest growing. Research recently published by the Lancet predicts that in the year 2100, five of the 10 most populous countries on earth will be in Africa. These demographic trajectories will have a dramatic impact on the global economy and who shapes it. This is clearly an opportunity for the continent and its leaders, but job creation in Africa is not keeping pace with this rapid population growth resulting in a 'ticking time bomb'. Yet for Fred Swaniker, Founder and CEO of the African Leadership Group, digital technology and the move to online is a chance for Africans to not only create jobs, but to reach new employment opportunities both on the continent and within the global jobs market. In this conversation with Fred, a leading voice on African leadership, we discussed the role of leaders in unlocking the continent's potential, and how investors can work to create sustainable job-creating private sectors.  The conversation is chaired by CDC’s Head of External Affairs, Colin Buckley, and he's joined by Tenbite Ermias, Managing Director and Head of Africa. Additional links: Watch the event in full on our YouTube channel here Subscribe to our Insight newsletter here 

The climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity, with the threat to the most vulnerable and exposed populations in developing economies especially acute. Given the scale of the challenge, climate finance for private sector development is critical to helping these countries, not only mitigate the worst effects of climate change, but also adapt and build resilience against future impacts. Join us for a conversation with economist and sustainable development expert, Hans Peter Lankes where we look ahead to the pivotal COP26 conference later this year and discuss the role of climate finance in tackling the crisis. Hans Peter, who until recently was Vice President of Economics and Private Sector Development at the International Finance Corporation, shares his insights on how development finance actors. impact investors and policy makers can accelerate action and enable critical climate focussed private sector investment in the countries that need it the most. The event is chaired by CDC’s Head of External Affairs, Colin Buckley and Climate Strategy Director Amal-Lee Amin. Additional links Watch the event in full on our YouTube channel here Subscribe to our Insight newsletter here 

This is an episode from our ESG Podcast series. In this one, we explore how businesses can benefit from supporting the circular economy and improving their management of electronic waste. The episode is hosted by Dr Veronica di Bella from our ESG team, who speaks with two representatives of off-grid solar company, M-kopa: Daniel Stoker, Head of Retail, and Sophie Mbugua, Retail Projects and Diagnostics Senior Lead. The panel discuss a project CDC and M-kopa have worked on, aimed at improving the management of electronic waste, and reflect on how it can help the business, and what they're learning from it. More on this topic: Report from CDC and M-kopa: How are off-grid solar customers in Kenya managing their electronic waste? Read it here ESG Toolkit for Fund Managers - find it here For all the latest news from CDC, go to our website, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The African continent has borne the brunt of some of the worst impacts of the pandemic, halting decades of growth, affecting millions of livelihoods and pushing much of sub Saharan Africa into a recession for the first time in over 25 years. Despite the challenges, the prospect for economies across Africa remain strong, with its young population, the expansion of the free trade area, renewable energy potential and it’s growing digital economy. Private sector investment has always been key to growth and development across Africa and will continue to be so as the continent rebuilds. Join us for a conversation with Dr Frannie Léautier, Chief Executive of Southbridge Investment, one of Africa’s most exciting investors. In this session we reflect on the impact of the pandemic across the continent on jobs and industries, and economic trends that have emerged. The episode is presented by CDC's Colin Buckley, with additional input from Peter Maila, a Coverage Director at CDC. Find out more:  Watch the full recording of this event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ItFyKQRS2c Subscribe to our Insight newsletter: https://cdcgroup.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=018b2da3576717f35b05a766c&id=e6d7d8d8fb Read the write up of our March Insight event with Professor Ngaire Woods from the University of Oxford: https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/news-insight/insight/articles/what-will-global-governance-and-development-look-like-in-the-post-pandemic-era/

Global poverty is increasingly concentrated in fragile and conflict-affected settings. A vibrant private sector that creates jobs and opportunities is essential in these environments, to help alleviate poverty, inequality and instability. These regions struggle to attract commercial investment because opportunities are typically overshadowed by high financial risk, and weak or fragmented institutions. In this episode we look at what development finance institutions can do to support increased investment in such settings. We hear from leaders at development finance institutions and academic institutions working on these efforts, and take a closer look at on one market building initiative recently launched in Nepal. Our guests are: Jumoke Jagun-Dokunmu, Regional Director for Eastern Africa, IFC Richard Manning, Senior Research Fellow, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford Nick O'Donohoe, CEO, CDC Group Jörg Frieden, Chair, SIFEM Tejeshwi N. Bhattarai, Economist, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Read more: DFI Fragility Forum 2021: https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/news-insight/news/the-dfi-fragility-forum-meets-for-the-third-year/ Nepal Invests: https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/news-insight/news/nepal-invests-is-launched-by-cdc-fmo-and-sdc-to-accelerate-investment-in-nepal/

COVID-19 has unleashed a devastating crisis which has tested the resilience of existing global governance structures and exposed massive societal imbalances. Developing countries have borne the brunt of the economic consequences of the crisis, with an estimated 100 million people pushed into extreme poverty. As the slow recovery begins, we need to challenge the role we ascribe to global governance both in crisis management and crisis recovery, otherwise the most vulnerable will continue to pay the biggest price. International cooperation, trade and investment will be key especially for developing economies. Join us for a conversation with Oxford University’s renowned governance and international development expert, Professor Ngaire Woods, in which we reflect on the current governance landscape and ask how we can address the weaknesses exposed by the crisis. This podcast is hosted by CDC’s Head of External Affairs, Colin Buckley and Vivianne Infante, Country Director of Ethiopia, joins the discussion.  Links: Watch the event recording in full here  Subscribe to our Insight newsletter here

Our Understanding Impact podcast series explores some of the biggest challenges facing developing economies and how impact investment can help overcome them.  In this episode, we look at the disproportionate economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women, and how investors, businesses and financial institutions are responding to it. We hear from four senior leaders working across Africa and South Asia, where we invest - they are:  Abi Mustapha-Maduakor, CEO of the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) Inez Murray, CEO of the Financial Alliance for Women (FAFW) Roberta Annan, Founder and Managing Partner of Annan Capital Partners Roshaneh Zafar, Founder and Managing Director of the Kashf Foundation Our hosts are CDC's Jumai Mohammed and Rob Comba. For all the latest news from CDC, go to our website, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.