As the novel coronavirus COVID-19 spreads around the world, it is having a devastating economic impact. TechnoServe’s work developing capacity and building ecosystems to support entrepreneurs in countries across Latin America, Africa, and South Asia yields important lessons for today’s businesses struggling to withstand the crisis.
In Chile, the coronavirus pandemic is threatening the survival of many micro and small businesses. We talked to Corina Rivas, TechnoServe’s Chile country director, about the “very hard” situation on the ground, and how TechnoServe is helping entrepreneurs “reset” their businesses to survive.
Mariam Abdulafeez is a young businesswoman who is using the skills she learned through a TechnoServe business accelerator program to empower others to transform their businesses and their lives.
How African food processors and U.S. companies are working together to transform the African dairy industry.
While financial inclusion has grown in Mozambique over the last decade, the gap between men’s and women’s formal inclusion has grown along with it. Closing the gender gap could be a catalyst for greater financial growth in the future.
Technology can be a powerful tool for improving lives in the developing world – but only if it is deployed in the right way, considering local needs foremost. TechnoServe works with pioneering tech partners to develop and scale up solutions to poverty around the world.
Through TechnoServe’s work with over 8,000 shopkeepers in more than half a dozen countries, we have identified four skills that all microretailers need in order to transform their businesses – and their lives.
Idalia Medina grew up with the heart of an entrepreneur. As an adult, she merged her love for farming with business and started processing and exporting cheese. But, with no formal business training, Idalia was overwhelmed. Using the skills she gained from TechnoServe’s training, she transformed her enterprise and grew sales by nearly 20%, also allowing her to invest in the long-term success of her employees.
In Benin, TechnoServe is working to provide young entrepreneurs with the skills they need to build prosperous and food-secure communities.
Indu Devi made her living producing fox nut snacks, but cultural gender norms held her and other women entrepreneurs back from business success. With access to formal financing and business training, she's integrated her enterprise into a profitable snack company.
