It isn’t the profile normally associated with a global trading competitor: fifth-poorest country in the world, an estimated per capita income of $180 (US) a year, and a life expectancy of just 44 years. But small business owners in Guinea-Bissau are becoming international traders in processed cashew nuts, a luxury item more resistant to the falling prices that have punished African coffee and cotton farmers...
The price of cotton - a mainstay of the economy of Benin - fluctuates so widely that low prices either hurt farmers or high prices cause shortages of cottonseed for local oil processors. To address this problem, USAID is working with a private company and an NGO to introduce sunflowers as a new crop. Fludor, a company specializing in edible oils, will invest $838,000 to re-equip its cottonseed plant in Benin to process sunflower oil for the local market...
The influence of television is truly global. After EnterpriseWorks helped small manufacturers in Ghana produce treadle pumps and high-efficiency charcoal stoves, the next question was how to help them promote their products. The creative and high-impact answer turned out to be television advertising. With the support of project funds from USAID, EWW developed a series of TV commercials to promote the pumps and stoves...
Fighting Poverty with Profit in Niger
In the West African nation of Niger, the World Bank has determined that just over $71 is the minimum annual income needed to meet basic needs in rural areas. But a startling two-thirds of the population is unable to earn that minimum...
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It isn’t the profile normally associated with a global trading competitor: fifth-poorest country in the world, an estimated per capita income of $180 (US) a year, and a life expectancy of just 44 years. But small business owners in Guinea-Bissau are becoming international traders in processed cashew nuts, a luxury item more resistant to the falling prices that have punished African coffee and cotton farmers...
The price of cotton - a mainstay of the economy of Benin - fluctuates so widely that low prices either hurt farmers or high prices cause shortages of cottonseed for local oil processors. To address this problem, USAID is working with a private company and an NGO to introduce sunflowers as a new crop. Fludor, a company specializing in edible oils, will invest $838,000 to re-equip its cottonseed plant in Benin to process sunflower oil for the local market...
