Here’s your Daily Brief for December 9th:

Women at the BoP: what does it mean when your money belongs to you? (via Perspective 2.0) – Ownership is a critical step toward empowerment at the bottom of the pyramid. Advances in technologies, in this case biometric ID cards, will be the future of solving this problem.

The ever-growing business case for CSR/sustainability (via Business Fights Poverty) – Ian Berry takes a look at a recent survey of 250 global business leaders on CSR/Sustainability initiatives. Of those surveyed, 68% are using CSR as a platform for growth and differentiation to create new revenue streams. And 54% believe their CSR activities are giving them an advantage of their top competitors. (Full Report Here)

Rallying the World against “Blood Oil” (via Africa Business Source) – I posted earlier on the topic of conflict minerals in the DRC (with Appfrica’s wonderful use of Ushahidi data to visualize the correlation between conflict and mining). Today, this post from Africa Business Source shares the problem of “Blood Oil” in Nigeria — the “use of proceeds from stolen crude oil in financing international terror groups and domestic insurgents in Nigeria.” What is amazing is the magnitude of stolen crude oil — ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 barrels per day! Outside of the criminal uses of stolen money, there is an enormous lost opportunity cost to the people of Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Brain Gain – It seems that the rising unemployment rates in the US and the UK are driving native Nigerians to take up job opportunities available in their home country. We talk so much about brain-drain in the developing world, it’s interesting to see that the current economic climate is driving quite the opposite effect: brain-gain! (HT: Annansi Chronicles)

Here’s your Daily Brief for August 4th:

Investment Into Rwanda to Rise 10% in 2009 (via Reuters) – Hat tip to @whitakergroup for this gem: A more positive outlook than the NYT piece; This Reuters article reports a 10% increase in investment to Rwanda. The growth is attributed to an honest and disciplined government, though there is still red tape to be cut for investors.

Just When Africa’s Luck Was Changing (via NYT) – This article from the New York Times takes a look at the impact of the global credit crisis on investment in Africa. Just as major investment projects were on the rise throughout the continent, companies have had to scale back due to the current economic climate. What I like about this article is that it makes the argument FOR business in Africa. Quoted in the article is M Nathaniel Barnes, Liberia’s ambassador to the United States and the country’s former finance minister:

““Instead of talking to Usaid, I’d rather be talking to a company like Nike,” Mr. Barnes said. “Having a partner like that means jobs and economic growth, and you just don’t get that from aid.”

The article further illustrates examples of business investments throughout the African continent. This is something that is rare and much needed in the US Media – painting a more accurate picture of Africa and its numerous investment opportunities.

Trade a powerful development tool (via Business Daily Africa) – Ron Kirk, a US Trade Representative in Kenya, wrote this Op/Ed piece in the Business Daily Africa. He stresses the need for African countries to expand and diversify trade in order to achieve sustained economic growth. Additionally, he calls on African Countries to improve their own business environments by nurturing entrepreneurial initiative and simplifying/modernizing border procedures.

Diary of a Social Venture Start-up (via GOOD) – This is a series of blog posts over on the GOOD Magazine website that looks pretty intriguing

Here’s your Daily Brief for August 3rd:

US Africa Trade on Exhibition at 8th Annual AGOA Forum (via Africa Business Source) – A nice overview of this weeks AGOA forum. Makes the good point that the issue needing MOST focus is no longer market access, but rather building up the competitiveness of African Countries by addressing infrastructure, information sharing, and capacity building.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Joins Carbon Footprint-Cutting Race (via Triple Pundit) – Coca-Cola, one of my favorite companies, has pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by 15% by 2020.

What Western Executives Should Learn About Design Thinking in Emerging Markets – This is an article from back in March by John Hagel and John Seely Brown, both from the Center for Edge Innovation at Deloitte. They look at the case of Tata Motors, which released a car called the Nano which was a “disruptive innovation” in the developing world car market. It’s a great piece, and at the end they list four key points (or “broader lessons”) to be learnt.

Maker Faire Africa in 2 Weeks (via WhiteAfrican) – Erik Hersman posted a preview of what to expect at the upcoming Maker Faire Africa – “a celebration of African ingenuity, innovation and invention” – in Accra. Check it out!

Kiva.org: July: 2nd biggest month of lending ever! – Despite (or maybe IN spite of) the global economic recession, Kiva announced today that July posted the second highest lending numbers EVER through their site! The highest month EVER you ask? JUNE! This comes off the back of five (5) very strong months of lending ranging from $3.8 Million in February 2009 to June’s record $4.9 Million. This is awesome, congrats KIVA!