SEED South Africa Symposium 2015

From the 26-28th May 2015, AFSD -SA had the privilege of being invited to the 2015 SEED South Africa Symposium. 

SEED is an initiative, founded by the UNEP, UNDP and IUCN to help small grassroots enterprises in developing countries to enhance their social, environmental, and economic benefits. 

AFSD -SA' s Barberton Project was selected as one of 5 candidates to represent the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of their Small Grants Programme (SGP). 

 AFSD -SA was awarded a grant of $50 000, to conduct a project focussing on the economic empowerment of women, capacity building of school learners and reduction in electricity usage. This project was conducted within the parameters of renewable energy. 

The theme of the  symposium was Entrepreneurship: A solution for climate change and green growth. It took place over 3 days, at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Johannesburg.   

AFSD -SA was asked to set up a small exhibition stand, in the symposium’s "Marketplace", along with the other 5 candidates.

Apart from the valuable input from the symposium, a number of additional relationships with formed with a professor from UJ, a member of government from the Free State and an SED strategist from the Eastern Cape.

 The input from the symposium was really valuable, and AFSD considered it a tremendous privilege to have been invited to this prestigious event. 

Understand the Big Picture of Development at WEF MENA 2015 - The MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth

Decision-makers at WEF MENA are working for change against the backdrop of a historic transition between development models

As regional and world leaders meet in Jordan on the Dead Sea for the three-day World Economic Forum Middle East and North Africa, all will be conscious of the need to address youth economic opportunity. This year will mark the five-year anniversary of the Arab Spring, which began with the first protests in Tunisia in December 2010. Accelerated by social media, the frustrated economic and political aspirations of youth across the region would go on to unseat governments as far afield as Egypt and Yemen. Five years later, gains have been made, but important work remains to be done.  Read more...

AFSD conducts Community Needs Scan

AFSD conducted a comunity needs scan in the towns of Hopetown and Douglas. We are always amazed at the resilience of the people that we meet and talk to. See more...

An amazing person, creating hope and providing jobs

Our MD reports back on the 2015 Spring Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund

Despite the End of the Commodity Boom, African countries can sustain their economic rise. Read more...

See more of the panel discussions...

Africa Rising

Read the results of Global LEAP energy efficient appliance survey

the Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP) initiative – a Clean Energy Ministerial initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy and in which the United Nations Foundation is a partner – recently conducted an online survey to better understand the global market of off-grid clean energy system-compatible appliances. The goal of the survey was to help market actors throughout the energy access value chain make better informed decisions regarding off-grid appliances, from investment and policy interventions, to manufacturing and procurement.  Read more...

Between 18 December 2014 and 13 January 2015, a total of 239 energy access professionals, many of whom were Practitioner Network members, identified the top five household and healthcare appliances that they think will inspire the greatest off-grid consumer demand over the next 3 to 5 years, and that they think are likely to drive the greatest energy access (e.g., socioeconomic or environmental) benefits. 

The survey shows that, for off-grid household and small enterprise applications, LED room lighting appliances, mobile phone charging banks, televisions, radios, refrigeration, fans, and solar water pumps are the appliances with the highest likely demand, in that order. For healthcare and clinical applications, refrigeration, sterilizers/auto-claves, patient monitors, and portable ultrasound machines are consistently ranked as the top four off-grid clinical appliances in terms of anticipated demand and potential impacts.

A brief history of Bretton Woods System

By M.J. Stephey, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008

  

Since the end of World War II, the U.S. dollar has enjoyed a unique and powerful position in international trade. But perhaps no more.  Read more...

Alfred Eisenstaedt / Time & Life Pictures / Getty

Delegates attend the Bretton Woods conference in July of 1944 at the Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

4 Tactics for increasing investment in renewable energy

IFC (@IFC_org) tweeted at 3:10 PM on Wed, Aug 06, 2014: 4 tactics for increasing investment in renewable energy.