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    • Archive for December, 2015

    One Woman’s Leadership Journey

    Joyce Banda

    Dr. Joyce Banda, the first female president of Malawi, shares her journey as an activist, business leader, and politician. Dr. Banda left an abusive marriage in 1981 and vowed to gain more independence. After a visit to the U.S. in 1987, where she saw first-hand examples of the transformative power of entrepreneurship and leadership, she returned home with a mission to look beyond the success of her own business and help other women live up to their full potential. Dr. Banda founded the National Association of Business Women (NABW). With CIPE support, the organization grew to more than 15,000 members and made an important difference in the lives of women entrepreneurs in Malawi. NABW has successfully empowered many women. An impact study revealed that 73 percent of the women it supported had grown out of poverty, 84 percent of the women had gained respect in their households, and 40 percent had moved from informal sector to the formal economy. Dr. Banda’s drive to empower women in Malawi lead her to politics and, eventually, the presidency. She continues to be an active advocate of women’s empowerment in Malawi and beyond, inspiring other women with her story and vision for the future.

    This video first appeared on the CIPE Development blog.

    Supporting Entrepreneurship for a Free and Prosperous Nepal

    Arpita Nepal

    Arpita Nepal, Co-Founder and Director of the Research and Development at Samriddhi, The Prosperity Foundation discusses the state of entrepreneurship in Nepal. There is still a common misconception in Nepal that one can only make a profit by paying bribes. Entrepreneurs face many challenges operating in Nepal including inefficient registration processes, cronyism, overwhelming regulations for small businesses, political instability, and lack of access to finance. Despite these challenges, Arpita Nepal is hopeful that entrepreneurs will continue to drive positive changes in Nepal.

     

    Anti-Corruption Strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises

    Badri El Meouchi

    CIPE’s Senior Knowledge Manager, Kim Bettcher, interviews Badri El Meouchi, Executive Director of the Lebanon Institute of Directors (IoD).  Meouchi discusses measures small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can take to address corruption in Lebanon. Although SMEs in Lebanon rarely calculate the money that they lose in the form of bribes, they are often victims of corruption. Lack of public awareness and civic education on corruption, unclear and inefficient business registration processes, and minimal political will to address citizens’ concerns creates an environment that makes bribery and other forms of corruption common.  However, SMEs can address corruption by improving their internal governance processes and acting collectively with other businesses to effect change.