Is Business the answer?
October 5, 2008 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment
Adrian Ristow writes:
Having spent some time in New York recently at the UN’s End Poverty event, and being a bit of a philosopher, I am going to take the liberty of sharing a few general personal thoughts… I know that some people get a bit skeptical that weeks such as these involve a lot of talk (and yes there was a lot of talk!) and not enough action. But I must say that I am encouraged by the passion and energy that I see in a growing number of people. It has to start somewhere and I feel that more and more ordinary people are also now becoming aware of the world’s key issues and want to do something about them. Social media such as Simon’s blog (this ColaLife blog) are no doubt playing a role in this education process and I think that there is an emerging generation of business people who take a much stronger interest in development problems. Okay, okay, off my soapbox and back to the MDC project.
During October we have been tying up some loose ends on the research report with the IFC and Kennedy School of Government. This research is really helping us to frame our next steps in the project. In parallel to this I am happy to say that since The Coca-Cola Company’s initial submission to the Business Call to Action early in 2008, we have calculated that over 500 new Manual Distribution Centres (MDCs) have been opened in East and West Africa, meaning new direct employment for around 2,500 people as well. So, while we focus on improving the development impact of the model through our Tanzanian project, the general momentum continues as more people are set up in their own small businesses on the continent, which is really positive.
Adrian
Adrian reports from the UN
September 30, 2008 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment
Adrian Ristow writes:
My first time at UN week (22-26 September, 2008) in New York.
Wow, what an experience! I knew that there was something special on the go when I couldn’t get near the entrance to my hotel because the secret service had blocked off a number of roads in Manhattan.
In between the anxiety caused by the financial crisis in the US and the Presidential debate I am pleased to say that there was quite a lot of discussion about the Millennium Development Goals and a lot of focus on Africa as well at many different events.
Besides the main UN events, there were a number of development focused events taking place, the most notable that I had some involvement with being the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).
A real highlight of the week for me was being able to attend the awards ceremony of the CGI which recognizes individual commitment to the world’s major problems. It was a treat to be able to sit right next to the stage and hear James Taylor singing an awesome version of ‘Friend’ - hopefully a prophetic statement from those gathered in New York towards Africa.
Adrian
Adrian Ristow, has been reporting here, on the ColaLife blog, on the research being carried out by Coca-Cola into their distribution network in Tanzania and Ethiopia.
What others are saying about ColaLife- ColaLife on Flickr
-
Auto-translation
.gif){kind=small}
