PepsiCo – new locally produced product in Africa

Pepsi will develop a nutritional product accessed through the company’s distribution network and sold in Nigeria, India and South Africa. PepsiCo estimates that the product will improve the nutrition of 100,000 children in its pilot phase alone. The manufacturing and production of this product means that PepsiCo could increase its operations in Nigeria, India and South Africa by 20% – which would have a positive impact on jobs locally.

SABMiller – doubling the local sourcing of barley from India

Based on its experiences in African markets, SABMiller has successfully transferred a business model it developed in Uganda to India. In 2008 it expects to double the amount of barley it sources from local farmers in Rajasthan from 7,090 million tonnes to an expected 15,000 million tonnes. This will directly benefit 6,000 small-scale farmers who have become part of the company’s supply chain.

Standard Chartered – tailored banking services for small enterprises

Standard Chartered will implement a new business programme that will support the growth of small enterprises in their core markets across Asia, Africa and the Middle East by providing entrepreneurs with access to tailored banking services, skills development and business mentoring.

Sumitomo Chemical – local production of bednets in Africa

Sumitomo Chemical will expand local production of bednets from East to West Africa, through a new production facility in Nigeria which is expected to generate 5,000 jobs. By increasing bednet availability in the region, this initiative could potentially save 400,000 lives from malaria over the next 5 years. Sumitomo Chemical will also explore the possibilities of opening sewing and logistics facilities in the neighbouring countries, such as the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Niger, Benin, Ghana, and Guinea.

Tata – online agricultural information to farmers

Tata will provide a tailored online public information system in local languages through “village knowledge portals” available in 100,000 Indian villages, including up to date local agricultural advice and information. This will increase agricultural productivity, stimulate local micro-enterprise and significantly reduce rural poverty across India.

Thomson Reuters – real time weather and price information for farmers

Reuters Market Light intends to expand the initiative throughout India where it is expected to reach several million farmers in the next four years. Once the business model, technology and partnerships are firmly established, Thomson Reuters will also explore potential roll-out to other developing markets in Africa, South America and Asia.

Reuters Market Light (RML) is a service that delivers localised personalised commercial information to farmers in India via SMS to mobile phones in the subscriber’s local language, enabling them to make better business decisions and enhance their incomes. In some cases, RML has enabled farmers to make decisions that have given them an additional profit of up to £3000 on their initial investment of £2.19 for a 3-month RML subscription.

Vodafone – mobile banking

Vodafone has launched its breakthrough mobile money transfer service in Kenya, Afghanistan and Tanzania, and has plans to launch in India within a year where it could reach over 40 million customers. Vodafone is also exploring new markets in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. Vodafone is developing the M-PESA platform to support a range of new services including international remittances, salary payments, merchant services and bill payments.

Yara – Increased fertiliser supply to Africa

Yara International, a Norwegian based fertilizer supplier, has announced an innovative way to tackle food shortages in Tanzania and Mozambique. Research shows that with better access to fertilizer, Africa’s food production could be tripled by 2015. In these countries, the current ports system is highly ineffective, with shipments of fertilizer taking 3-4 times longer to clear customs and be delivered to the farmers than in other ports. Yara’s “Growth Corridor” announcement will speed up the process making fertilizer available all year round to farmers by establishing a holding warehouse which has the ability to streamline effective distribution. If successful this project will be implemented in various locations in Africa.