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Dear members,
Another year is coming to an end, and we would like to thank you for following and supporting us through visiting our website and reading the publications and events. We would like to conclude this 2016 with the topics of impact investment and digital finance. Our first highlight is a study on impact investment in Africa, entitled Investing in Africa’s development: how impact can contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. According to this study, published by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) and the Foundation for International Development Study and Research (FERDI), impact investment offers a wide range of growth opportunities and represents an innovative and efficient answer to the development challenges of the continent. The study also presents the main characteristics of impact investors and how they can contribute to solve development challenges; the landscape of impact investment and how impact investment can contribute to meeting the SDGs in Africa grouped into eight main SDG investment areas, among which is agriculture, and where the private sector can play a key role.
Second highlight is a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute on Digital finance for all: Powering inclusive growth in emerging economies. This report draws on the findings of field visits to seven emerging economies: Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, and Pakistan and more than 150 expert interviews. The research finds that widespread adoption and use of digital finance could increase the GDPs of all emerging economies by 6 percent, or a total of $3.7 trillion, by 2025. Stakeholders across these countries would benefit in terms that around 1.6 billion unbanked people could gain access to formal financial services, out of which more than half would be women. Also, an additional $2.1 trillion of loans to individuals and small business could be made as providers expand their deposit bases and have a newfound ability to assess credit risk for a wider pool of borrowers. The resulting increase in aggregated demand could create nearly 95 million new jobs across all sectors. However, to achieve this opportunity joint effort by business and government leaders is needed.
Finally, Africa Finance and Investment Forum (AFIF) 2017 will take place in the vibrant city of Nairobi, Kenya from 13-17 February, 2017. This forum will gather over 300 decision makers linked to Africa’s financial services and the continent’s SME sector. This edition will focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and access to finance in agriculture and other key sectors. For more information and registration, click here.
We wish you all the best in New Year!
The RFILC editorial team


- Advanced Program on Microfinance and Financial Inclusion
- Réagir à l’”accaparement des terres” et favoriser les investissements agricoles responsables
- En quoi l’agriculture intelligente face au climat pratiquée par les petits exploitants est-elle différente?
- Transferts d’argent et bureaux de poste en Afrique – Répondre aux besoins des migrants et de leurs familles en milieu rural
- Lecciones tempranas de las implementaciones a gran escala del Modelo Graduación
- Informe sobre el desarrollo rural 2016

- The Long-Run Poverty and Gender Impacts of Mobile Money
- Taking Stock: Recent Trends in International Funding for Financial Inclusion
- Impact Investing Trends: Evidence of a Growing Industry
- Digital finance for all: Powering inclusive growth in emerging economies
- Investing in Africa’s development: how impact can contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa
- Réagir à l’”accaparement des terres” et favoriser les investissements agricoles responsables
- En quoi l’agriculture intelligente face au climat pratiquée par les petits exploitants est-elle différente?
- Transferts d’argent et bureaux de poste en Afrique – Répondre aux besoins des migrants et de leurs familles en milieu rural
- Grain de Sel_n°72_Agriculteurs et accès au financement : quel rôle pour l’État ?
- Lecciones tempranas de las implementaciones a gran escala del Modelo Graduación
- Informe sobre el desarrollo rural 2016
- El estado mundial de la agricultura y la alimentación 2016: cambio climático, agricultura y seguridad alimentaria

- IFAD calls for agricultural investment to address poverty and inequality in Near East and North Africa
- Costos de las entidades microfinancieras llegan hasta el 85% en las zonas rurales
- La FAO veut développer une stratégie de développement du riz africain
- L’exode rural : un défi posé aux pays en développement
- Éradication de la pauvreté- 400 milliards de dollars pour « nourrir l’Afrique »