Featured Partners
Information about the conference to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 14, 2010 on the Potential of Private Sector Solutions in Nutrition
Nicaraguan bean farmers now have the chance to access credit, improve their agricultural methods and sell their crops directly to food distributors. Read how a new project is helping traditional small farmers increase their profits and become part of national supply chains.
Large areas of highly fertile volcanic soil have made bean production a centuries-old staple of the Nicaraguan economy and food supply. Although small bean producers have inherited a rich and important legacy, they have often struggled to earn a fair profit due to low productivity rates, lack of credit access and difficulty in organizing cooperative farming mechanisms.
A look at megaretailer Walmart's approach to expanding into underserved areas in Mexico -- not in its familiar "big box" format but as a chain of smaller stores offering products geared toward low-income customers.
Not too long ago, a colleague wrote a blog post titled “Supermarkets for Majority Markets,” which highlights both domestic and international efforts to create jobs and improve community health by opening supermarkets in low income areas.
On April 20, Jaime Elizondo, President of CEMEX Mexico, and Luiz Ros, Manager of the Opportunities for the Majority initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank, signed a partial credit guarantee agreement that will enable CEMEX to significantly increase the scope of its Mejora Tu Calle (“Improve Your Street”) program.
On April 20, Jaime Elizondo, President of CEMEX Mexico, and Luiz Ros, Manager of the Opportunities for the Majority initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank, signed a partial credit guarantee agreement that will enable CEMEX to significantly increase the scope of its Mejora Tu Calle (“Improve Your Street”) program.
An interview with Pedro Bulcão, executive director of Brazil's SINAF Group, about his company's innovative approach to selling life insurance to low-income customers.
There are many ways private companies can serve base of the pyramid (BOP) populations. These underserved communities represent a large untapped market and, as such, offer a number of opportunities to organizations willing to address their basic needs in a responsible and profitable way.
Following the pledge of billions of dollars by the international community toward the recovery of Haiti, staff blogger Francisco Mejía offers some insights on how market-based strategies and private sector business models can contribute to the effective deployment of some of this aid.
On January 12, 2010, Haiti was hit by a massive earthquake. The toll was huge: hundreds of thousands died, more than a million were left homeless, billions in infrastructure were lost, the government’s capacity to respond was buried with the rubble. Three months later, the international community has pledged $5.3 billion for the next 18 months.
Two leading Mexican companies, Mi Tienda and CEMEX, were recognized at the IDB’s Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Cancun, Mexico, for their innovative projects that engage with low-income populations in Mexico.
On Friday, March 19, IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno meet with Jose Ignacio Avalos, a leading social entrepreneur who has been instrumental in creating major nonprofit organizations that address critical needs of the poor in Mexico, including Mi Tienda, a company that supplies hundreds of small grocery stores in rural communities in Mexico.
Opportunities for the Majority's Johnny Jiron describes a successful partnership between a Trinidad resort and some nearby farmers. If you know of any Caribbean tourism companies that might be interested in trying to engage with local majority markets, let them know about the IDB business plan competition accepting applications until April 9, 2010.
A couple of months ago, the Opportunities for the Majority initiative launched a business plan competition for companies in the tourism sector in the Caribbean that are seeking to engage with low-income communities. The deadline for applications is April 9, and we are just starting to receive proposals.
The second in a series of IDB-hosted Strategic Partners dialogues proposes a forward-looking agenda centered around the topic of market-based strategies and the results they can deliver for the base of the pyramid in the region.
The second in a series of IDB-hosted Strategic Partners’ dialogue proposed a forward-looking agenda centered around the topic of market-based strategies and the results they can deliver for the base of the pyramid in the region. Mixing strategic stock-taking with practical discussion on current issues, a lively dialogue was created that touched different topics, ranging from strategy and innovation to the role of multilateral institutions in this new space.
IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno highlights the Bank’s commitment to working with partners to promote private sector investment in majority markets in Latin America and the Caribbean at the second Strategic Partners’ Dialogue, organized by the Opportunities for the Majority Initiative.
It is gratifying to see all of you gathered here today, representing diverse organizations, approaches, ideas and structure of resources. Many of you have been pioneers and innovators in what is now our common endeavor. The IDB is fortunate to count you among its allies and is proud of its association with all of you here today.
