Local Supplier Development
When the covid-19 pandemic derailed in-person business skills training in Côte d’Ivoire, Bamoussa Sanogo, trainer and senior manager of Africa Business Explorer, pivoted. “With the support of IFC, I earned my advanced master trainer certification and started offering online courses,” he says. This pandemic-era shift enabled his business to grow, while giving local entrepreneurs—especially women—skills they need to succeed.
In 2018, the IFC team partnered with the Guinea Ministry of Mines to create an online platform, called the Supplier and Partnership Marketplace—or Bourse de Sous-Traitance et de Partenariats (BSTP), which gives local SMEs access to the supply chains of large mining projects. The work was enabled by a multifaceted Canada-IFC program that supports local economic development linked to energy and mining investment in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, and Kenya. In May 2023, IFC interviewed Saifoulaye Balde, BSTP Executive Director. Here are excerpts from the conversation.
Concerned that her children were consuming too many sugary deserts, Rita Aku-Shika Diabah developed a recipe for low and zero-sugar ice creams and started making them on the back porch of her home in Takoradi, Ghana. And in Guinea, a love of trucks and a desire to own her own business drew Lynn Kaba Touré to start a small logistics company.
A remarkable new trend is taking hold in the world of infrastructure finance. Sustainable Finance—investments structured with environmental, social, and governance criteria—saw unprecedented growth in 2021, reaching over $1.6 trillion in total annual issuance and more than doubling 2020 volumes. Why is the rise of Sustainable Finance a big deal? Because it offers tangible evidence […]
With support from the Government of Canada and industry partners, IFC has provided thousands of people with training and provided support to dozens of communities to ensure that large-footprint development projects benefit those who live and operate businesses near them. IFC Advisory programs in Latin America, West Africa, and Mongolia have also empowered stakeholders to […]