Successful and inclusive rural economic development needs to be built on long-term understanding of and engagement with rural households. New research, Understanding Rural Pathway Transitions, developed by Shell Foundation (SF) and MasterCard Foundation’s Rural & Agricultural Finance Learning Lab (RAFLL), with support from The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) – provides a structure…
The impact of Covid-19 on the Access to Energy (A2E) sector has been well documented, with multiple surveys identifying the negative impact on sales, disruptions in supply chains, increased risk in customer collections and the cumulative impact of these factors on working capital of A2E enterprises. Enterprises have had to adapt and evolve operations to…
Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) business models have enabled solar product companies to increase their sales and penetration in low-income markets across Africa and Asia, yet the model still faces challenges of high customer default rates, driven by school fees payment scheduling, low yields and dry seasons. The last two of those default drivers can be explained by…
Two SF partners from the Mobility portfolio have secured growth investment to help them expand their services in East Africa. Tugende – which SF has supported since 2016 – recently announced a $3.6m investment from VCs Partech and Enza Capital – both of whom specialise in early-stage Venture Capital backing. Headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, Tugende…
Smart Freight Centre (SFC) is a leading voice globally for the logistics community, bringing together multinational companies to improve efficiencies and reduce CO²e emissions. In their 2020 Annual Report SFC puts ‘freight in the limelight’ and reflects on the significant impact made across the global logistics community. Since its inception, more than 100 multinationals use…
In a new report Easy Matatu present key insights from its work formalising the minibus taxi industry in Kampala, Uganda. Informal transport is prevalent across greater Kampala, contributing to high traffic congestion and air pollution. With over 16,000 minibus taxis in operation, unregulated services and vehicles often mean customers are forced to use poorly maintained,…
As the world recognises International Women’s Day there are stories from across the Shell Foundation portfolio recognising the importance and impact of gender equality. Gender impact across markets and sectors Aavishkaar, a multi-product growth financial services group with a focus on India and Africa, launched its 2020 Impact Report on International Women’s Day, featuring stories…
In 2018 the POWERED (Promotion of Women in Energy Related Enterprises for Development) programme was launched by FCDO India and SF to increase gender inclusion across the energy value chain, which is vital if the UN SDG7 is to be met. S4S Technologies was one of the first businesses supported through the POWERED programme, established…
Shell Foundation is seeking applications to fund health electrification projects via targeted financing mechanisms as part of a new pilot programme. As mini-grid companies, development finance institutions, health organisations, and non-profits announce initiatives to support the electrification of COVID-19 health facilities, a key challenge remains to strike a balance between rapid deployment and the long-term…
SF partner and Kenyan start-up ASOBO officially launched last week, offering replacement electric engines – or e-boarders – for fishing boats, which are cheaper and more environmentally friendly than traditional petrol engines. Thousands of fishing boats – at present powered by expensive and polluting petrol engines – use Kenya’s Lake Victoria every day. ASOBO plans…