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Client Testimonial by MLajan for building a futuristic digital solution

“Our collaboration with Amarante was more than just a collaborative engagement in building a world class mobile wallet platform. It was about providing a financial Technology solution that is scalable and attendant to our fundamental challenges of financial inclusion and access for the underserved. This sustainable development goal encompasses the core mantra of financial Cooperatives in Dominica and it became the very fabric upon which any digital and technological solution should be built on.

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COVID-19 : Défis et opportunités de digitalisation des Établissements de Microfinance au Cameroun

by By Jean Marie Leosgho, Consultant

La microfinance au Cameroun

Le Cameroun est la principale économie de la Communauté Économique et Monétaire d’Afrique Centrale (CEMAC). Pourtant, la part de la population pauvre y a augmenté de 12% entre 2007 et 2014, pour atteindre 8,1 millions d’habitants selon la Banque Mondiale. La pauvreté se concentre dans les régions septentrionales du pays (Extrême Nord, Nord, Adamaoua) qui abritent 56% de la population cette population à très faibles revenus[1].

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Quel avenir pour le crowdfunding dans la zone UEMOA ?

by Antonia Bassène, Senior Consultant

Les premières expériences de crowdfunding telles que nous le connaissons aujourd’hui, remontent au début de la décennie 2010. Depuis, les business model et les plateformes ont évolué et le recours au financement participatif s’est répandu dans le monde entier.

Le principe du financement participatif existe cependant depuis bien plus longtemps. A titre d’exemple, la Statue de la Liberté, offerte par la France aux États-Unis,

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In conversation with NeedsList: A tech company facilitating crisis response

by Shriya Sundaram, Consultant and Sahana Arun Kumar, Managing Director

In 2019, well before covid-19, the world saw 202 natural catastrophes and 115 were man-made. Natural disasters resulted in $52 billion in losses and man-made disasters accounted for the remaining $8 billion in losses. 11,500 people worldwide perished or were missing in such disasters. Adding to this, the coronavirus pandemic has taken the world by storm since the end of 2019 and we are still facing the wrath of it.

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The youth, a generation untapped: Securing the lives of our future

by Nimisha Iyer, Research Intern, Priya Garg and Shriya Sundaram, Consultants

As we settle into the 21st century, the world population is taking a dramatic shift. Today, we have the largest ever number of individuals transitioning from childhood to adulthood. At 1.2 billion, youth aged 15-24 years make up 16% of the global population. This number is expected to rise further as developing countries plow their way into the industrialisation process.

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The West and Central African Region: A resource mine (shrouded with challenges)

by Shriya Sundaram, Consultant

During the past few months I had the opportunity to work on a project as part of Amarante ,through which, I got a deeper understanding of the West and Central African (WACA) region. In this blogpost, I would like to speak of some of the key learnings that I took away and where I think we can bring about some of the necessary policy changes.

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The Remote Work Model: Advice from Veterans for Tele-Working in the New Normal

by Nimisha Iyer, Research Intern and Manohisoa Boulier, Director- Francophone Region

The coronavirus pandemic has become all too familiar in the last 5 to 6 months. This crisis started as a health one and is morphing into a recession affecting global economies. The high transmissibility of the virus has caused countries and cities to lock down. However, from an alternate perspective, this situation has presented many opportunities and transformed the way we function, as humans and societies.

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Fishing for Transformative Digital Solutions in Uganda

by Priya Garg, Senior Consultant and Nimisha Iyer, Research Intern

Mirembe sits under the shade of her fish stall at the fresh market covering herself from the sun. She sells delicious fresh Mukene and Tilapia. She is just one of the many key actors in the fish value chain which allows this fresh catch to reach customers all over the world. This intricate fish value chain provides a primary source of income and livelihood to 1.5 million Ugandans.

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Online healthcare consultation management in times of Covid 19

by Hugues Landry Ngbesso, Senior Consultant

goMediCAL is a m-health service, accessible via a mobile application, that helps manage the patient-doctor relationship. Available for now only in Benin, it allows people to make an appointment with a doctor, and pay either for themselves, relatives or friends. It also allows doctors to access the patient’s medical file.

As a pioneer in the m-Health industry in Benin, goMediCAL was launched about two years ago by OPEN SI,

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MaTontine: Digitizing traditional savings groups for Financial Inclusion

by Sahana Arun Kumar, Managing Director; Chris Czerwonka, Senior Consultant and Nimisha Iyer, Research Intern

Tontines are traditional, informal savings groups that allow groups of women across Francophone Africa and other regions in the world to set aside money on a regular basis with the aim of accessing a larger amount through loans after a certain period of time. Each month women contribute their share of money to the tontine. At the end of each month one of the women in the group will gain the pot as a loan.

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