French fund launched to invest in African startups
AfricInvest and Bpifrance have partnered to launch the French African Fund (FFA), a cross-border investment fund dedicated to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa and France. January 19th, 2017 – A pool of diverse i...
Resource-efficient and cleaner production audit bears fruit in Viet Nam
24th January 2017 – In recent years, rapidly developing industrial zones have brought about socio-economic development in countries such as Viet Nam, but there have also been environmental downsides, as many of these parks do not have waste-appropri...
Europe: renewable sources in 2016
Renewable energy and clean technology (clean tech) could be a good opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe, but many are the challenges to be faced. Almost 90% of new power in Europe from renewable sources in 2016 Wind energy o...
Women Entrepreneurs Are ‘More Ambitious and Successful’ Than Men
Successful women entrepreneurs are not only matching their male counterparts – in several ways, they’re outperforming them. That’s according to the 2016 BNP Paribas Global Entrepreneur Report, for which Scorpio Partnership consultancy surveyed about...
Improving Governance Is Key to Ensuring Equitable Growth in Developing Countries
WASHINGTON, January 30 th, 2017 – A new World Bank policy report urges developing countries and international development agencies to rethink their approach to governance, as a key to overcoming challenges related to security, growth, and equity. The 20...
SMEs must go borderless to widen customer reach
DUBAI, January 23 th, 2017 Firms using digital platforms outperform traditional exporters In today’s increasingly globalised world, SMEs have to compete globally. As a central pillar in the world economy, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) pl...
Seven European banks join forces for blockchain platform for SMEs
January 6, 2017 – Seven European banks – Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Natixis, KBC, Rabobank, Société Générale and UniCredit – have agreed in principle to develop a blockchain-based shared platform for domestic and international commerce for SMEs. T...
Microfinancier targets SMEs sector
January 12, 2017 – Microfinancier Microcred Zimbabwe is targeting the unbanked and those in the small to medium enterprises (SMEs) offering loans ranging between $150 and $50 000. Currently, 70% of the adult population is unbanked while there are 5,...
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma: Technology Can Be Used to ‘Empower’ Small Businesses
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma has a mission to make it easier for small businesses to get up and running. January 18 th, 2017 – Alibaba (BABA) has a mission to help small businesses, CEO Jack Ma said in an interview on CNBC’s “Halftime Report̶...
Mediterra 2016. Zero Waste in the Mediterranean
Natural Resources, Food and Knowledge ROME, December 5th, 2016 – Presented in Rome the 5th of December during the FAO Council 155th Session, the 2016 UNFAO-CIHEAM Joint edition of Mediterra offers an innovative and prospective approach on the issues...
