Archive for category: Business

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Turning the Cassava Industry in Nigeria into a Thriving Business

Casava industry in nigeriaCassava is one of Nigeria’s most ubiquitous crops, a staple food eaten daily as garri or fufu. But for Yemisi Iranloye, cassava became much more than just a dependable source of sustenance. She transformed it into an industrial powerhouse. This is the story of how the cassava industry in Nigeria was revitalized through science-driven entrepreneurship and rural value-chain investment.

From Weekend Hobby to Industrial Vision

Iranloye first experimented with cassava as a weekend hobby; buying a small plot in Oyo State, multiplying superior cassava stems and sharing them with neighboring farmers to raise yields. Her formal scientific training informed her vision: a degree in food biochemistry and nutrition and years of work at a Lagos glucose syrup plant gave her deep insight into root crop chemistry. This blend of academic knowledge and grassroots practice laid the foundation for Psaltry International, the company she built by placing industrial processing where cassava is grown.

In 2011, at age 40, Iranloye left her salaried work, moved onto her farm and used a loan to build a 20-tonne-per-day cassava starch mill with equipment imported from China. Her decisive innovation was logistical: cassava spoils quickly after harvest, so building processing adjacent to smallholder production cut spoilage, improved quality and shortened the supply chain. That locational advantage helped Psaltry pass demanding quality tests and secure Nestlé as its first major customer; multinational buyers such as Unilever, Nigerian Breweries and Promasidor followed as Psaltry expanded its product range.

Growing the Cassava Industry in Nigeria

Across Nigeria, cassava is better used for garri or fufu, essential starchy accompaniments for soups and stews. But its industrial potential is broad: cassava roots can be refined into starch, ethanol, glucose syrup, flour and sweeteners. Food manufacturers use cassava starch as a binder and thickener. Packaging companies use it in corrugation. Rising demand for gluten-free products has given cassava flour new markets. By treating cassava as an industrial feedstock rather than merely a subsistence crop, Iranloye helped displace some imports and created higher-value market channels for farmers who previously sold raw roots into low-margin chains.

The company’s success shows how value addition can transform national supply chains. By embedding processing in the zones where cassava is grown, Psaltry boosted efficiency, raised quality standards and helped build the cassava industry in Nigeria into a more resilient and globally competitive sector.

Turning Infrastructure Challenges Into Competitive Advantage

When Psaltry set up its first mill, it was “in the middle of nowhere,” without an access road, unreliable power and a seasonal stream that ran dry. The company built its own road, installed generators until grid connections arrived and drilled boreholes for community and factory use. Financially, Iranloye blended loans and public credit schemes to buy equipment and scale operations; operationally, Psaltry invested in farmer training, traceability and stem multiplication so suppliers could meet industrial quality standards. Those investments turned logistical constraints into competitive advantages, delivering higher quality, faster processing and a dependable supply chain that appealed to major buyers.

Scaling Farmer Partnerships and Cassava Products

What began with 17 smallholders grew into a network of roughly 16,000 farmers supplying Psaltry. Expansion came in phases: after the initial starch mill, Psaltry opened a second factory in 2015 to produce cassava flour; in 2022 it added a sorbitol plant after Unilever sought a reliable local supplier. Producing sorbitol domestically helped reduce dependence on imports from Asia and showcased how downstream processing can capture more value within national borders. At each stage, Psaltry emphasized quality control, traceability and predictable procurement, lifting suppliers into market-grade production rather than subsistence selling.

The expansion of the cassava industry in Nigeria not only boosted local manufacturing, it helped reinforce Nigeria’s agricultural economy by creating jobs, reducing import reliance and solidifying new export pathways.

Competition, Economic Shocks and New Crop Frontiers

As Psaltry’s success became visible, competitors proliferated: Nigeria now hosts dozens of cassava processors. But local demand rose too, particularly after naira volatility made imports costlier and import substitution more attractive. Iranloye views this as an opening for broader agricultural industrialization: sweet potatoes (high starch and naturally gluten-free) and coconuts (where nearly every part has commercial value) are promising next wave crops for similar processing approaches. Her perspective mirrors broader development prescriptions: diversify local value chains, encourage agro processing and link smallholders to paying markets to create jobs and build resilience.

Entrepreneurship Lessons From the Farm

Iranloye’s reflections are practical and pointed. Passion for agriculture is nonnegotiable: the sector rewards persistence when markets and infrastructure lag. Deferred gratification matters. She counsels entrepreneurs to reinvest earnings rather than treat early revenues as personal paychecks, separating personal finances from business growth. Finally, iterative learning and persistence were crucial; Iranloye admits she did not have a perfect plan at the start, but steady experimentation revealed viable products and markets.

Why This Story Matters

Psaltry’s rise from experimental stems and a makeshift rural mill to multi-product processing supplying multinational companies shows how applied science, strategic location and farmer partnerships convert staple crops into industry. For policymakers and development practitioners, the lessons are concrete: invest in rural infrastructure, de-risk finance for processors and farmers and scale extension services so smallholders can meet industrial quality. For entrepreneurs, the takeaway is equally clear: patient mission-driven reinvestment and proximity to raw materials can turn agribusiness into a durable engine of local jobs and import substitution.

– Josephine Dokpesi

Josephine is based in the United Kingdom and focuses on Business and New Markets for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

 

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rYojbaba Rings Nasdaq Opening Bell to Fight Poverty

rYojbabaOn May 26, 2026, Ryoji Baba rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, New York. Baba is the chief executive officer and representative director of rYojbaba, a Japanese consulting and health services company dedicated to fighting poverty through professional expertise and community-based services.

In traveling from Japan to New York to ring the Opening Bell, Baba aimed to further the organization’s anti-poverty cause. It is a goal the organization has pursued since its inception and may have an even bigger chance of achieving through this excursion.

rYojbaba’s History

rYojbaba’s roots trace back to 1989, when the Japanese health care organization Sakai Seikotsuin was founded. Over the past 38 years, it has served local health care communities throughout Japan, providing countless individuals with a better quality of life.

When rYojbaba was officially created in 2021, it sought to expand on the foundation Sakai Seikotsuin had established nearly four decades earlier. The organization was founded by professionals with deep experience in Japan’s legal and labor systems, including certified social insurance and labor consultants. These consultants are nationally licensed specialists in labor relations, employment matters, social insurance and human resource management.

On the “Our Story” section of rYojbaba’s official website, Baba explains how his personal experiences with poverty across Japan informed their goals to combat it. During his time working as a police officer, certified social insurance labor consultant and administrative scrivener, he encountered those severely disadvantaged by the systems they lived within. He decided to start this company to fundamentally solve these labor issues he had witnessed.

Baba acknowledges that these labor issues cannot be solved by corporate consulting or technology alone. It is important to involve individuals who can provide impartial consulting to companies, workers and labor unions. Provided these individuals have fair judgment and a true sense of justice, they can be crucial in providing rational solutions to these labor issues.

rYojbaba’s Accomplishments

rYojbaba has successfully created a labor union that waives union dues. This accomplishment, which no one else has achieved, has significantly increased the possibility of resolving labor issues altogether. Considering that labor issues directly inspired Baba to found this company, it represents a tremendous milestone.

The strengths of rYojbaba’s services lie in their ability to consult with both labor unions and employers. They can work productively with these groups, despite their interests often being at odds and resolve the problems of each employer one-on-one. This is aided by their understanding of various laws and regulations and their awareness of those in poverty who are often overlooked.

rYojbaba Attends Opening Bell Ceremony

As part of Nasdaq’s “Opening Bell” ceremony, Baba took the stage at the Nasdaq MarketSite alongside Brian Joyce, who works at the company’s market intelligence desk, to deliver a speech about his company’s efforts to fight poverty. “Our mission is to fight poverty and create opportunities for the next generation,” he said early in the speech. “We do not measure success only by profit, but by how many lives we can improve.”

After Baba finished his speech, he received the Nasdaq Opening Bell Crystal to commemorate the day’s bell ringing. Surrounded by other rYojbaba representatives, a 10-second countdown led to him ringing the Opening Bell by pressing a small screen in front of him, triggering applause from his team.

Final Remarks

“We know today is just one milestone,” Joyce remarked to Baba shortly before the bell ringing. “You have had many milestones up until this point and we know you will be back. We look forward to welcoming you back to celebrate future milestones.”

These words symbolize rYojbaba’s mission over the years. With every accomplishment, the company has worked to spread awareness of poverty globally. Whether or not they ring the Nasdaq Opening Bell again, achieving this for the sake of furthering a noble cause is a remarkable achievement.

– Benjamin Parker

Benjamin is based in South Burlington, VT, USA and focuses on Business and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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AGOA is Building a Global Middle Class Via Fashion

AGOAFor many years, critics treated globalization as a race to the bottom. Brands chased cheaper labor while workers struggled to move beyond the poverty line. However, in recent years, a different model has emerged in some sectors of the apparel industry. When governments pair trade access with local production rules, fashion can help create stable jobs, stronger communities and something much more durable: a middle class. This model works best when countries build local manufacturing ecosystems that keep more value at home. Ethical fashion succeeds when it connects consumer demand to long-term local investment rather than short-term outsourcing.

Peru: Luxury Cotton in a Local Industry

Peru offers one of the strongest examples. The country built a premium textile sector around Pima cotton, a high-end fiber cultivated for thousands of years and tied closely to Indigenous agricultural traditions. Peruvian Pima cotton requires roughly 50% less water than conventional cotton because of its drought tolerance, making it both economically and environmentally valuable.

The apparel brand Nation LTD shows how this ecosystem works in practice. After starting production in Los Angeles, the company moved much of its manufacturing to Peru to access a vertically integrated supply chain that tracks production from cotton cultivation to finished garment production. Around 80% of Nation LTD’s clothing now comes from Peru through a “seed-to-garment” system in which cotton is grown, spun into yarn, knitted into fabric, cut and sewn locally, primarily around Lima.

That local concentration matters. Strong middle classes rarely emerge from fragmented subcontracting systems. They grow through industries that create layers of stable employment: agriculture, logistics, factory management, quality control, transportation and technical apparel manufacturing. Peru’s vertically integrated apparel model keeps more production inside the country while reducing transportation emissions and strengthening long-term industrial capacity.

The point extends beyond sustainability branding. High-value exports encourage investment in skills, product quality and long-term partnerships that create more economic opportunity. This model shows how ethical fashion can support local production instead of rewarding short-term supply chains.

East Africa: Apparel and AGOA

East Africa shows a different version of the same idea. Beginning in the early 2010s, global brands increasingly explored sourcing from Kenya and Ethiopia as buyers searched for alternatives to China and Bangladesh. McKinsey research found rising buyer interest in East African sourcing, particularly in Ethiopia and Kenya, supported in part by preferential U.S. trade access through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Ethiopia attracted buyers with lower labor costs while Kenya developed larger and more efficient factories through foreign direct investment and export-processing zones that expanded local apparel manufacturing.

The broader social impact matters just as much as exports. Most apparel-related jobs in sub-Saharan Africa go to women, who often direct income toward family health care and education. McKinsey also found that African firms average 25% female representation on corporate boards, above the global average of 17%.

In other words, apparel manufacturing creates one of the clearest pathways into formal employment for women, especially in economies where middle-management pipelines remain weak. Those jobs have helped families move toward a more stable middle class for years.

How Trade Policy Creates Opportunity

The U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement uses a “yarn-forward” rule for apparel. To qualify for tariff-free access to the U.S. market, companies must complete key production stages, such as spinning yarn, knitting fabric and sewing garments, within the trade region. The rule discourages companies from importing cheap textiles from overseas suppliers and finishing garments only locally. Instead, it rewards complete supply chains that sustain manufacturing jobs across multiple sectors. This kind of trade policy helps countries build industries rather than depend on temporary aid.

AGOA follows a similar logic. The program gives eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market for more than 6,000 products, including apparel, which helps attract foreign direct investment from manufacturers eager to benefit from tariff exemptions.

No industry can eliminate poverty on its own. However, smart trade policy like AGOA, paired with ethical fashion, can help create stable jobs, stronger local industries and more opportunities for people to build better lives.

– Camila Correch

Camila is based in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada and focuses on Good News, Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Women’s Economic Empowerment in Hasbaya

Women’s Economic Empowerment in HasbayaAgainst the backdrop of Mount Hermon, the Hasbaya region of South Lebanon features ancient olive groves, terraced hillsides, and the winding Hasbani River.

Yet, beneath this scenic tranquility, rural communities face deep economic marginalization intensified by national financial instability and geographical isolation. In the lanes of Hasbaya’s historic souks, a new narrative is taking shape; not of crisis, but of enterprise.

Hounna Lil Tamkeen Project

Launched in late 2025 and scaling through 2026, the “Hounna Lil Tamkeen” project (Women for Empowerment) equips participants with the technical skills and business resources to establish their own guesthouses and craft enterprises.

The project is part of a broader movement; the United Development Program (UNDP) recently provided $1.5 million in assistance and technical support to women-led enterprises and cooperatives to restore local production and livelihoods across Lebanon.

The Leadership and Vision

Al Madad Foundation established the project as a core initiative under the vision of its founder, Lebanese-British artist and humanitarian Aya Haidar. Haidar’s work frequently explores themes of cultural heritage and the value of women’s domestic labor, actively shifting the focus from traditional aid toward a model of “creative empowerment.” The leadership’s philosophy for Hounna Lil Tamkeen pushes business ownership rather than one-time food parcels. It also professionalizes the production of mouneh (traditional preserves), ensuring that Lebanese heritage becomes a marketable asset in the modern economy. The project acts as a direct intervention against the rising poverty rates in rural Lebanon, where one out of every three citizens now lives below the poverty line. It provides a sustainable path toward women’s economic empowerment in Hasbaya in this traditionally conservative region.

How it Works: From Training to Table

Instead of requiring women to travel to urban hubs for work, the initiative brings the professional economy directly to their doorsteps through three distinct phases:

  • Phase 1: Professional Skill Acquisition: Participants receive intensive hospitality training from the foundation, mastering international service standards, rigorous food safety protocols, and foundational digital literacy. This specialized instruction enables them to list their traditional homes on global booking platforms, effectively turning underutilized domestic spaces into reliable revenue streams. This localized approach tackles the regional inequality affecting 44% of the population while prioritizing women’s economic empowerment in Hasbaya as a core engine for rural recovery.
  • Phase 2: The Culinary Tourism Pipeline: Women are trained to scale and professionalize their traditional production of mouneh (artisanal Lebanese preserves). By standardizing product quality, safety and packaging, the project helps these local entrepreneurs sell their goods directly to visiting tourists and high-end urban markets. This provides a vital, insulated source of income at a time when the tourism sector’s contribution to Lebanon’s economy fluctuates around 5.5%.
  • Phase 3: Digital Visibility and Infrastructure: The initiative provides the physical tools and marketing training necessary for women to establish an online presence. Creating a digital footprint is essential for bypassing Lebanon’s ongoing banking hurdles, offering a critical intervention in a country where female labor force participation stands at just 27.54%; significantly lower than the global average of 51.07%.

From Blueprint to Reality

The tangible reality of this economic shift is documented directly by the field updates of the “Hounna Lil Tamkeen” initiative on social media. Supported by the Mediterranean Women’s Fund and guided by expert trainer Omar Abou Ali, the project successfully executed its specialized “Treasures of Hermon: Feminine Tourism” training modules across rural South Lebanon. After conducting successful training blocks in the towns of Kfayr and Mimes, the foundational phase concluded with an intensive two-day workshop in the village of Khalwat. The field execution seamlessly bridged hospitality with the region’s culinary heritage, featuring a traditional rural lunch that served as a practical showcase for professionalized, homemade preserve production (mouneh). Moving forward, these real-world assessments are being translated directly into localized tourism brochures for each village, creating a permanent marketing infrastructure that connects rural women directly to the modern travel economy.

Looking Ahead

The success of these rural initiatives mirrors a broader national effort to revitalize Lebanon’s economy through women’s economic empowerment in Hasbaya. International partners have mobilized substantial support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which comprise 90% of Lebanon’s economy and serve as the backbone of local livelihoods. Under the Women’s Economic Empowerment Project, a total of $1.106 million in grants has reached 96 SMEs, providing both financial capital and United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) technical support to strengthen operations and expand market reach. Ultimately, the project aims to support more than 1,000 women-led businesses, ensuring that as Lebanon navigates its recovery, women remain at the heart of a more equitable and sustainable economic future.

– Celine Dib

Celine is based in London and focuses on Good News, Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Thrifting Reduces Poverty in Guatemala

Poverty in GuatemalaMany people in developing countries rely on second-hand clothing imported from other countries. The second-hand clothing (SHC) sector trades more than 24 billion items annually. As of 2023, the national rate of poverty in Guatemala was 56%. With more than half of the population living in poverty, the ability to afford brand-new clothes is often not possible.

Second-Hand Clothing Industry in Guatemala

According to the Garson and Shaw report on secondhand clothing imports from the United States to Guatemala, in 2023, Guatemala imported 131.25 million kilograms of second-hand clothing, 98.6% of which originated from the United States. HS Code 6309 is an international trade classification for worn clothing used to determine costs and tariffs. People in Guatemala have a high demand for low-cost clothing, as many are unable to meet basic food and health needs. The Guatemalan economy is the largest in Central America and relies heavily on the SHC market to support economic activity.

The largest second-hand retailer in Central America, Megapaca, is based in Guatemala. Megapaca is comparable to the North American company Goodwill, with similarly large stores and a fast turnover rate of clothing.

The SHC market is particularly appealing to women in Guatemala, as a high proportion of people do not complete more than primary or secondary education, with more women than men stopping after primary school. The SHC market is one of the few accessible jobs that generate income for people with limited education. A study conducted by Garson and Shaw found that almost all surveyed participants reported that the SHC market has a positive impact on their families.

Supporting Women Through Fair Trade

The SHC market is a key component of reducing poverty in Guatemala. With a large number of women involved in the sector, it promotes financial independence for women who do not have many other job opportunities.

Trades of Hope is a fair trade company founded by Gretchen and Elisabeth Huijskens in 2010. The organization gives women living in poverty the opportunity to support their families by making clothes, jewelry and bags. Trades of Hope pays these artisans a fair and livable wage and markets their items on its website.

One Guatemalan artisan, Clara, said that she built a workshop in her home so she could work while staying with her children, and that other parents in her village who previously had to travel far for work now work alongside her.

Looking Ahead

With more than half the population of Guatemala living in poverty, second-hand clothing is a necessary industry for people to access affordable clothing and participate in the economy. Companies like Trades of Hope work with women artisans to create stability for them and their families by selling handmade goods at fair wages. The second-hand clothing industry plays an important role in many developing countries in efforts to reduce poverty.

– Kaitlyn Crane

Kaitlyn is based in Rohnert Park, CA, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Don’t Just Eat Chocolate; Grow the Ghana Cocoa Industry

Ghana Cocoa IndustryChocolate is one of the most beloved sweets that people all around the world consume. Switzerland continues to rank as one of the top countries where people consume chocolate (8.8kg per capita/per person) followed closely by Austria, Germany and Ireland. However, cocoa in these sweet treats is not produced in any of the countries named. The top two countries that produce cocoa are Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana.

Despite the cocoa industry bringing in a high export of $1.46 billion, in 2024, many farmers are below the poverty line. They are facing delayed payments from local regulators on top of a very low minimum wage, some earning only $3 per day

Global Poverty of the Chocolate Industry

Only a small share of chocolate’s final value reaches producers. As Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems reports, “only 7% of the price that consumers pay for chocolate makes its way back to the producers.” Cocoa farmers are on the very end of the value chain because Ghana ships more than 80% of its cocoa abroad in raw form, which means that the most profit is made from the final product.

Though smallholder farmers dominate Ghana’s cocoa industry, they often work on small plots with limited resources. As emphasized in the Cocoa Barometer, poverty is not just one issue among many; it is a central factor underlying many challenges in the cocoa sector.

The Cocoa Barometer highlights how this system reflects deeper historical inequalities tied to colonial trade structures. The result is a persistent “extraction” model, where value leaves producing countries instead of being reinvested locally.

The cocoa industry and cocoa farming have been in the traditions of many farmers in Ghana. There are approximately 800,000 smallholder farm families across regions including Ashanti, Western, North, Eastern and Central Ghana. For this livelihood of many to disappear, farmers would face severe poverty and trigger an economic downturn.

Cocoa Industry in Ghana

Recently, John Mahama, the president of Ghana, has made major efforts to prioritize local processing of raw bean exports, aiming to cease raw cocoa sales by 2030.

In a recent visit to Temple University, in Philadelphia, PA., President Mahama brought light to this situation and his reasoning behind the push.

“It is because for almost 70 years after we gained independence, we’re still exporting raw beans to the world,” Mahama said. “I believe that what has happened in the international market should be a wake up call for us.

President Mahama has put a strict deadline on when he believes the goal of this program should be where they should be; with at least 50% of the country’s cocoa beans in local production, while halting raw mineral ore exports by 2030. “By 2030, there won’t be any raw mineral ores leaving Ghana. You must process all that locally,” said President Mahama.

The Future

The hopes in these major switches have short-term and long-term goals including:

  • Farmer payment timeliness: reducing the payment delays compared to traditional financing
  • Foreign exchange retention rates: domestic revenue capture versus the traditional model
  • Semi-processed product export growth: volume and value expansion in cocoa butter, powder

President John Mahama, is pushing this advocacy of consuming local chocolate, with a short yet powerful statement of, “Eat Chocolate, Grow Ghana.”

– Elizabeth Fryer

Elizabeth is based in Philadelphia, PA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Poverty Reduction and Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria

Women Entrepreneurs in NigeriaWomen entrepreneurs in Nigeria are redefining women’s roles in society and the greatest beneficiary of their inclusion in the entrepreneurship space is the economy. Women in entrepreneurship of Nigeria have played an increasingly significant role in reducing poverty. This shift comes after being previously excluded from formal employment and financial opportunities due to traditional systems that limited women’s participation in business.

Female-led companies have created jobs, driven local economic growth and expanded access to essential goods and services across sectors. Here are some ways women entrepreneurs continue to strengthen the economy of Nigeria while advancing broader efforts to reduce poverty.

Improving Access To Essential Health Services

Olamide Orekunrin was on one of her frequent visits to her home city, Lagos, when her sister became critically ill. With no equipment or drugs to revive her and no reliable way to get her to a hospital, the situation quickly turned critical. What would have been easily accessible lifesaving care in many places instead exposed a gap in Lagos’ health system that led to her sister’s untimely death.

This motivated Orekunrin to start Flying Doctors, a medical emergency service specializing in air ambulances. The organization introduced the first air ambulance service in Nigeria and West Africa. Flying Doctors has successfully evacuated victims of road accidents, bomb blasts, fire outbreaks and other mishaps across Africa. 

Female-led businesses like Flying Doctors combine passion with humanitarianism and have helped ensure that all Nigerians have access to essential emergency medical services.

Supporting Community Development

When it comes to entrepreneurship, women-led businesses reinvest up to 90% of income back into their families and communities, compared to 30–40% for men. Female entrepreneurs in Nigeria have launched initiatives such as skills-training programs, education services and other community-focused enterprises. Tutoring and educational initiatives help keep children in school longer.

Each additional year of schooling for girls can increase future earnings by up to 20%. Child care centers enable mothers to remain in the workforce and accelerate their career paths while balancing motherhood. Skills and training programs do the same. These services, which allow more women to join the workforce and children to stay in school longer, are tackling both child poverty and female poverty.

Job Creations

With women accounting for 43% of micro-enterprise ownership and about 40% of early-stage entrepreneurial activity, their businesses are a major source of employment and income in communities where poverty is widespread. Women-owned businesses employ several low-income women and youth. These businesses provide essential services like tailoring and clothing, transportation and logistics, food retail and hospitality and digital services and e-commerce.

These businesses not only expand access to affordable everyday services in underserved communities, but also create jobs for the people in those communities. In doing so, they are reducing reliance on Nigeria’s limited formal job market. By generating income and supporting more sustainable livelihoods, women-led enterprises are helping households and communities lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

Final Remarks

Ultimately, women-owned businesses often serve female customers and underserved communities, especially in informal sectors and rural areas. Through business networks and support systems, women are also better able to overcome barriers to finance, market access and formal business opportunities. In many cases, women-led enterprises create jobs and income opportunities for other women and young people in their communities in Nigeria.

This ripple effect strengthens local economies while expanding opportunities for groups historically excluded from formal work. Across Nigeria, female entrepreneurs are expanding access to financial services, health care, education, food and employment. From agriculture to digital finance, women-led enterprises are filling critical service gaps in underserved communities and driving more inclusive economic growth.

– Yemi Mary John

Yemi is based in London, UK and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Helping Coffee Farmers Out of Poverty in Peru

Poverty in peruAs of 2024, Peru’s national poverty rate stood at 26.6%. However, in rural communities where many coffee farmers live, the poverty rate rises to 46%. People in these communities often lack access to safe housing, stable income and education.

Poverty in Peru increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, following several years of decline. Providing farmers in rural communities with fair wages and proper tools helps them escape poverty. Here are three companies helping Peruvian coffee farmers break the cycle of poverty:

Café Femenino

Café Femenino is a coffee brand founded in 2004 by Isabel Uriarte and her husband, Victor Rojas. It began with more than 450 female farmers in northern Peru who sought to gain the same benefits men received from the coffee industry. Uriarte launched the initiative by traveling to impoverished villages to speak with women about their rights.

Uriarte hosted workshops and attendance steadily grew as more women joined. Some meetings also included men to help break down barriers surrounding traditional gender roles in these communities. Following these early workshops and conversations with impoverished women, Uriarte formally established Café Femenino.

Café Femenino requires participating farms to grant women farmers legal rights to farmland, leadership positions, financial and business decision-making power and direct payment for their coffee. Through these efforts, more coffee farms have been transferred to women, helping lift them out of poverty and strengthening their communities.

As a result, roads have been built, women have created more sanitary homes and families have gained better access to food. The company is helping reduce poverty in Peru, particularly in rural communities, by providing greater job security. Café Femenino now operates in several countries, including Colombia, Bolivia and Rwanda, fostering economic empowerment for women farmers.

Cedros Café

Cedros Café is a coffee cooperative founded in 2013 that supports small-scale farmers in the Cajamarca region of Peru. Poverty rates in this region remain high because many farmers do not receive adequate payment for their crops. Cedros Café pays its farmers about 30% more than the average market price for coffee.

The cooperative also provides farmers with training in business management, financial literacy and other professional skills. Because many of its farmers are women, Cedros Café equips them with additional skills to diversify their income. The cooperative also helps farmers obtain Fair Trade certification, which recognizes producers who follow sustainable practices and ensure fair treatment of workers. Today, Cedros Café works with 328 small farmers, helping reduce poverty in Peru.

Café Compadre

Café Compadre began when two of its founders created a solar-powered coffee roaster to help remote farmers roast their own beans, which sell for higher prices in the market. The founders soon realized that the roaster alone would not be enough to stabilize coffee farmers’ livelihoods. Because many of these farmers were located in remote areas of Peru, they lacked access to Lima’s coffee consumers.

In response, the founders established the Café Compadre coffee brand in 2014. The company now works with small, local coffee farmers to ensure they receive fair compensation for their work. Café Compadre pays farmers more than 30% above the market price for coffee. 

The company focuses on sustainable farming practices that also protect the environment. Purchasing coffee from Café Compadre supports farmers, promotes environmental sustainability and provides the high-quality coffee consumers seek. These principles form the company’s three core pillars.

Conclusion

These three coffee companies are working to support impoverished coffee farmers in rural communities across Peru. By providing innovative tools, training and prices up to 30% higher than the market average, they are helping farmers build more stable livelihoods.

– Kaitlyn Crane

Kaitlyn is based in Rohnert Park, CA, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Ethical Fashion and Poverty Reduction

Ethical Fashion and Poverty Reduction in the Global Garment Industry More than 60 million people work in the fashion industry worldwide, but millions of them live in low-income areas, where they frequently face hazardous working conditions and low wages. High-profile figures such as Emma Watson and Zendaya are increasingly spotted wearing sustainable and ethical fashion labels, drawing attention to these structural issues. Celebrity promotion of ethical brands can influence customer behavior, promote company transformation and support programs that assist garment workers in escaping poverty. Ethical fashion and poverty reduction have increasingly become part of global conversations about responsible consumption and labor rights.

Poverty and Unsafe Conditions in Garment Supply Chains

The wages of garment workers in key manufacturing countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia are insufficient to cover their basic living expenditures. Women make up the majority of workers, and because they typically lack bargaining power, they are vulnerable to exploitation.

The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh killed 1,134 people and injured thousands more, highlighting the deadly consequences of unsafe workplaces and weak supply chain management. Despite this tragedy, fast fashion businesses continue to seek lower prices, resulting in low wages and risky working conditions.

The Clean Clothes Campaign documents these ongoing challenges, noting that many factories remain unsafe and underpaid even a decade after Rana Plaza.

Ethical Fashion as a Direct Poverty-Reduction Strategy

Manufacturing workers benefit from ethical certification programs that ensure fair pay, safe working conditions and a voice at work. Since its start in 2010, Fair Trade USA’s Factory Program has worked with more than 100 accredited manufacturers throughout the world, each meeting more than 100 social and environmental standards. This criterion provides fair wages, safer working conditions, economic opportunities, strong environmental policies and Community Development Funds that employees can utilize as they see fit.

Community Development Funds support local infrastructure, cultural activities, health clinics and scholarships. Fair Trade USA has distributed $100 million in these subsidies so far, directly improving livelihoods and protecting communities. Employees report greater community involvement, financial stability and opportunities for professional and personal growth. Brands like Boll & Branch, e.l.f., Eileen Fisher and Terra Thread demonstrate how ethical certification empowers employees while ensuring accountable, transparent supply chains.

Government and Multilateral Solutions

  • The Bangladesh Accord. Following Rana Plaza, international unions and brands worked together to create the legally binding Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. Tens of thousands of safety hazards were discovered during the Accord’s investigation of more than 1,600 factories and the vast majority were repaired. Its regulated framework reduced workplace dangers and demonstrated how legally enforceable contracts may effectively protect garment workers and advance ethical fashion and poverty reduction efforts worldwide.
  • The Better Work Program. The Better Work initiative and the International Labour Organization operate in a number of clothing-producing nations. The effort combines advisory services, public reporting and factory assessments, affecting 2,250 factories and 3.7 million people. According to research, participating factories have lower levels of maltreatment, higher wages and enhanced production. Better Work is an example of how global efforts may directly benefit worker livelihoods and working conditions.

The Influence of Celebrity Advocacy on Consumer Behavior

Celebrities such as Emma Watson and Zendaya make sustainable fashion more appealing by highlighting ethical brands on social media and red carpets. According to McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2026 analysis, 46% of fashion executives expect conditions to worsen in 2026, up from 39% the previous year, suggesting that the industry is still undergoing considerable transition. Despite the challenging climate, 25% of CEOs believe that business conditions will improve, highlighting opportunities for organizations that adapt to changing consumer needs.

Demand for sustainable and ethical fashion remains strong, particularly among younger consumers, as brands respond to shifting trade dynamics and consumer behavior. Celebrity visibility encourages companies to adopt fair labor standards and normalize responsible purchasing decisions, reinforcing the connection between consumer influence and ethical fashion and poverty reduction.

Looking Ahead

Celebrity clothing alone cannot eliminate poverty among textile workers. When combined with legally enforceable agreements and NGO-led initiatives, ethical fashion can contribute to improved pay and safer working conditions. Companies can commit to paying living wages and sourcing products transparently, consumers can support responsible brands and policymakers can strengthen labor law enforcement. Together, these efforts may contribute to structural improvements in the global apparel sector.

– Madison Brown

Madison is based in Nottingham, UK and focuses on Celebs and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Women’s Cooperatives in Morocco Are Boosting the Economy

Women’s cooperatives in MoroccoWomen’s cooperatives in Morocco are becoming vital in driving development, reducing poverty and advancing female empowerment as the North African nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to boost economic growth.

Women’s Cooperatives in Morocco: A New Proud Tradition

The cooperative movement in Morocco is a relatively modern phenomenon, becoming prominent only in the late 20th century. Cooperatives were first established as a powerful response to limited employment opportunities for women seeking financial independence and a sense of solidarity and collaboration. They have since transformed into an economic force in both agriculture and artisanal production.

In 2025, there were 7,891 women’s cooperatives in Morocco, comprising more than 73,000 members. They involve 267,000 women who farm, produce and sell products ranging from embroidered textiles and carpets to livestock, agricultural products and cosmetics. This practice not only drives local economies but also unites rural communities, where 61% of women’s cooperatives in Morocco are located. 

It also empowers poor women with limited economic opportunities to gain financial agency, real market power and a stake in the nation’s future.

Toudarte, Agadir: Argan Oil

For the last 22 years, Toudarte has been at the center of a growing community of women finding solidarity, purpose and employment in a growing argan oil cooperative. Meaning “life” in Amazigh, Toudarte has, from the start, prioritized developing an operation that delivers sustainable products and practices for both the environment and the now 100 women who make up its ranks.

Not only does Toudarte empower and economically benefit a region and its residents, but its authentic, traditional production methods also protect a historic Amazigh practice from soulless industrialization. Since its founding in 2004, the co-op has seen steady success. The women at Toudarte now plan to expand their independent business and open an inn for guests who want to experience the argan forest and its production process.

Not only does this development signal an ever-improving economic outlook for Toudarte, but it also brings further hope to a rural community transformed by the presence and success of a women’s cooperative.

Al Kawtar, Marrakech: Homeware and Clothing

The majority of women’s cooperatives in Morocco are rurally situated, making the most of tight-knit, sometimes remote, communities with shared knowledge, interests and fortunes. However, the work of the minority that operates in urban centers like Marrakech is just as vital. That can easily be said of Al Kawtar, a homeware and clothing co-op that specifically offers women with disabilities the chance to earn a steady income and build a community.

The cooperative’s goals are to give women with physical disabilities the opportunity to independently earn a living based on their own talents and abilities. In the process, Al Kawtar creates a space for the most vulnerable women in Morocco to stand on their own two feet and receive fair market prices for their craft.

Coopérative Timnay, Sirwa: Textiles and Carpets

Coopérative Timnay takes the idea of community and self-reliance one step further, incorporating the larger local shepherding community and utilizing regional materials whenever possible. Vitally, it also uses a proportion of the cooperative’s profits to support the paid training of young women and to facilitate the benefits of membership, including health care, a group savings fund, child care and career progression.

Rather than merely a source of income, Coopérative Timnay offers the opportunity for a lifelong career. Understanding the extra demands that women in Morocco face, the charity ensures that a meaningful and rewarding future is available to those who might otherwise be forced to migrate for employment. Cooperatives like these protect Amazigh people and practices, allowing a prosperous future for the rural communities that desperately need it.

The Difference Maker in the Fight Against Poverty?

Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been significant progress in reducing poverty in Morocco, with the national poverty rate steadily decreasing. COVID-19, droughts and the international impact of the Russia-Ukraine war interrupted this trend in the early 2020s. However, with an improving economy in 2023–24, the World Bank expects poverty to resume its two-decade-long decline, falling below 3.9%.

Women’s cooperatives like those mentioned above have the potential to further advance this development by providing women and families with the financial resources they need to improve their economic outlook. Regional surveys prove that membership in a co-op can more than double a family’s household income. An improved income of this scale also offers individuals the freedom to hold bank accounts, build savings and access credit, opening the door to long-term increased prosperity.

The empowerment of women in any developing country is essential to its social and economic success. Women gaining personal and financial autonomy means a larger working population, greater and more diverse markets, higher average incomes and smaller, more prosperous families. The cooperative movement, therefore, has become a driving force in reducing poverty in Morocco. 

It has offered a future for its women, who are more able than ever to access essential opportunities for personal and economic growth and security.

– Evan Meikle

Evan is based in Kingston upon Hull, UK and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr