August 30, 2012 How one appliance can saves lives, empower women, and reduce pollution in the developing world. By Mimi Alemayehou Nearly every mother’s daily routine includes making meals for her children no matter where on this planet she happens to live. In the U.S., we have a range of easy, efficient appliances to choose from when preparing a meal – stovetop, oven, Read more…
July 27, 2012
OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield told Congress on Wednesday July 25 that Africa presented extensive investment and development opportunities but that U.S. businesses remain underrepresented on the continent. During the panel discussion, Embracing Africa’s Market Potential, before the Africa Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Littlefield described how OPIC supports long-term U.S. investments in Africa through political risk insurance, Read more…
July 17, 2012
At a time that the U.S. economy is tied more closely than ever to the world economy and some of the strongest economic growth is occurring in developing countries, American businesses are underrepresented in many of these high-growth regions, OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield said. Littlefield, who spoke on Tuesday, July 17 at the Women in Finance symposium at Read more…
June 29, 2012
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield after the announcement of the U.S.-Africa Clean Energy Finance Initiative in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the Rio+20 Conference on June 22, 2012. [Photo courtesy of Walter Mesquita]
June 05, 2012 Many large U.S. corporations earn more than half their revenue in overseas markets, but as OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield writes in The Atlantic, small businesses can also benefit from thinking globally. Littlefield notes that emerging markets have grown from 23 percent of the world economy in 1999 to nearly 40 percent in 2011, and will be the majority of Read more…
June 01, 2012 A recent piece in The Atlantic explores investors’ growing interest in Impact Investing. The piece describes impact investors and those “who want to use finance to make more food, cleaner water, better healthcare, smarter children and a richer bottom-of-the-pyramid.” It sounds like a tall order, but OPIC has long understood that investing in comon challenges such as access to education, financial inclusion, housing, health Read more…
May 23, 2012
Post-conflict economies share striking similarities regardless of region or era. Their economies are dominated by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), usually in the informal sector. Their banking systems have collapsed or credit has retreated to large companies and well-connected players. The rule of law is in shambles. Once a cash economy is functioning, populations are settling and some basic security Read more…
May 22, 2012
OPIC recently published its annual report for fiscal 2011, a year that OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield describes as “a pivotal year for foreign affairs and a banner year for the U.S. Government’s development finance institution.” Littlefield’s full letter is preinted below, and the complete annual report is available on OPIC.gov. When I embarked on my first full year at Read more…
April 25, 2012 The recent Global Philanthropy Forum in Washington D.C. drew hundreds of participants from the worlds of finance and philanthropy, underscoring the growing interest in focusing private investments on projects that will advance a social good. The forum, which featured a special address from OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield, generated considerable discussion about the roles of the private and public Read more…
March 29, 2012 We frequently share the important pieces of journalism we find on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Starting this month, we will also begin recapping on our blog some of the stories we consider most important to helping solve critical development challenges. This month there has been increased discussion over ways to encourage more economic development in Afghanistan in order to Read more…
|
|
|
|