Companies

L’AFD a lancé en particulier depuis 2008 une réflexion sur le rôle des entreprises en faveur du développement des sociétés et économies du Sud. Le colloque « Entreprendre pour le Développement » organisé en décembre 2008 sous la Présidence française de l’Union européenne, et en partenariat avec IMS-Entreprendre pour la Cité, a constitué une étape importante de cette réflexion.
 
Parallèlement, le ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes, qui a créé une fonction d’ambassadeur chargé de la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises (RSE) en 2008, promeut, dans les négociations internationales, l’idée que la RSE peut contribuer à une mondialisation plus humaine assurant une répartition plus juste des richesses. Tous deux ont lancé dans cet esprit, en 2010/2011, des analyses sur la contribution possible des entreprises à l’accès des plus pauvres aux services essentiels, en particulier ceux identifiés comme Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement.

L’AFD et le MAEE souhaitent poursuivre et renforcer le dialogue avec les entreprises et les différents acteurs concernés de la société civile autour de cette thématique. Les 25 et 26 octobre 2011, l’AFD a ainsi organisé deux conférences « Entreprises et Développement » à l’occasion de la réunion des pays donateurs du Global Compact.

Cet événement s'est déroulé en partenariat avec la Direction Générale de la Mondialisation, du Développement et des Partenariats du ministère des Affaires étrangères et éuropéennes, et en présence de l’ambassadeur à la responsabilité sociale des entreprises et à la bioéthique, Michel Doucin.

La première journée a été dédiée à la contribution des entreprises à la réalisation des OMD et a réuni de nombreuses entreprises françaises (groupe Bel, Veolia Environnement, Orange, GDF-Suez, Schneider Electric, Nutriset), membres du Global Compact France et du réseau sociétal IMS-Entreprendre pour la cité. Celles-ci, déjà engagées dans des stratégies d’accessibilité de leurs produits et services aux plus pauvres, ont échangé sur la base d’une étude ( téléchargeable ici ) réalisée par le cabinet d'étude l'Observatoire du Bop (Base Of Pyramide) au sujet des multinationales dans quatre secteurs d’activité.

La journée du 26 octobre a été davantage consacrée à la relation ONG/Entreprises/acteurs publics avec une présentation de l’interface web mise en place par Coordination Sud et de plusieurs partenariats dans ce domaine (EDF/Electriciens Sans Frontières; Schneider Electric/Aide et Action; Total/Iram; Club Méditerranée/Agrisud).
 

A study released today and conducted by Hystra and Ashoka, with support from AFD, Proparco, Ericsson, France Télécom-Orange, ICCO and TNO, offers new insight into effective and sustainable business models that have a positive socioeconomic impact for the poorest.

280 initiatives studied in Asia, Latin America and Africa

The study sought to learn lessons from existing approaches by analyzing over 280 initiatives implemented by different stakeholders (businesses, civil society organizations, social entrepreneurs…) in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

The projects studied use ICT to offer services to the poorest in 4 main sectors: education, health, agriculture and rural development, and financial services. The projects were evaluated by the study leader, Hystra, a consultancy firm specialized in hybrid strategies (social and economic strategies), and its partner Ashoka, a not-for-profit organization which has supported over 3,000 social entrepreneurs worldwide since 1981.

The analysis was based on 3 criteria:

• whether these projects are able resolve the problems they address,
• their financial viability,
• whether they can go beyond the experiment phase and be rolled out on a large scale and reproduced in other geographical areas.

The scale and results of the fifteen most innovative business models in the field show that ICT can be an engine for sustainably improving the standard of living of the poorest communities. In-depth case studies were conducted on them and are included in the report to support the main findings.

Main findings

The economic sustainability of projects varies from one sector to another. The financial and rural development service sectors are in the strongest financial position.

• The most innovative projects offering “financial services” are the most mature in terms of sustainability and market mechanisms. They each manage to serve over ten million people who previously did not have access to banking services.
• In the agriculture and rural development sector, there are numerous mature and viable projects using ICT. They can have a real socioeconomic impact by increasing farmers’ incomes, while making the agricultural supply chain more efficient. This benefits all the stakeholders in the agricultural ecosystem.
• Among the sectors where ICT is used for development, the health sector is extremely dynamic. However, most projects are subsidized and their long-term financial viability is not secured, except for a few niches such as teleconsultation or SMS- based drug authentification.
• In the education sector, there are few projects based on market mechanisms targeting the most disadvantaged communities, whereas there is a growing demand in this sector.

New business models involving local agents or crowdsourcing effectively meet the needs of bottom of the pyramid communities.

Involving “local agents”, members of local communities with computer skills who act as an interface between the technologies and final users, helps give communities that have not been trained in how to use ICT technologies access to services based on these technologies. This business model also helps avoid having to resort to costly mass media campaigns in order to publicize the service: it is publicized by each intermediary in their own activity area.

Crowdsourcing relies on information technologies to allow as many people as possible – anyone with access to the technology – to provide a distance service by telephone or Internet. This gives rural communities, even in remote areas, the opportunity to contribute to economic development.

An entrepreneurial approach is essential to launch innovative services, while cross-cutting collaboration between stakeholders and sectors is decisive for setting up local ecosystems, which are vital to the success of large-scale deployment.

Successful projects are built on the basis of their clients’ ability and willingness to pay. They are then tested locally in the field through a trial and error process. These projects do, however, come up against several difficulties. They need to rely on human resources combining technical and sectoral know-how with knowledge of habits and demand at the most local level. They must also find investments and long-term partners to support the long –and necessary – initial trial and error phase.

Cross-cutting cooperation between sectors and stakeholders (governments, development agencies, social entrepreneurs, corporates, financial institutions, civil society organizations and research institutes) is essential for creating the ecosystem that will make it possible to overcome these difficulties. The level of commitment of each type of stakeholder will be decisive in ensuring that services based on ICT improve the living conditions and incomes of billions of people living below the poverty line. The study puts forward recommendations to the different stakeholders in this respect and encourages them to work together and get involved in order to ensure that ICT’s contribution to the sustainable socioeconomic development of poor communities becomes a reality.

The full report was presented simultaneously in Paris and The Hague on 14 September.

• L’Ashoka changemakers Campus : les 21 et 22 juin 2011, deux journées d’ateliers, d’échanges, de rencontres, de débats et conseils entre entrepreneurs sociaux et différents acteurs (entreprises, ONG, pouvoirs publics…).
• l’Ashoka Changemakers’ City : cette semaine sera aussi l’occasion de faire découvrir à bon nombre de franciliens la notion d’Entrepreneuriat Social et ses applications concrètes, au travers d’une promenade dans Paris du 16 au 19 juin.

This support is in the form of a MGA4.7 billion (EUR1.65 million) long-term subsidized loan (“soft loan”). It is earmarked to finance loans for housing, equipment and medium-term leasing. Two grants will finance the computerization process for the CECAM Network and the implementation of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing procedures in the Network.

Madagascar’s largest microfinance network

The CECAM Network is the largest microfinance Network in Madagascar. It is established in 9 regions and has roughly 125,000 members to which it provides financial services (savings and credit) and non-financial services (education and training).

UNICECAM or Union Interrégionale des CECAM is the Network’s technical and financial assistance entity. It defines the general orientations of the CECAM Network, its financial, technical and administrative management, as well as training for its elected members.

CECAM’s aim for the coming years is to continue to provide local financial and non-financial services tailored to the needs of its members and, at the same time, improve its financial and social performance.

Agence Française de Développement, a public financial institution, works to combat poverty, support economic growth and help promote global public goods in developing countries, emerging countries and in the French Overseas Communities. It supports the development of microfinance in Madagascar through a wide range of operations to directly assist institutions – grants and soft loans – or by allocating loan guarantees. It also contributes to capacity building for the institutions it supports and to their institutionalization and financial empowerment. Since 2001, AFD has provided over EUR11 million (MGA32 billion) of soft loans or grants for microfinance in Madagascar. In addition, AFD has allocated several ARIZ guarantees for loans granted to microfinance institutions by local banks. In 2010, the total amount of active guarantees stood at roughly EUR6.2 million (MGA17.8 billion).