Client Stories

UNSGSA Tanzania Client Visit MomCare
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Protecting Women’s Health by Digitally Transforming a System of Care

In Tanzania, expectant mothers are supposed to receive free, basic prenatal care through government programs. However, there are many gaps in the system, including supply-chain challenges, limited financing, and a lack of transparency and accountability. As a result, many women find that they must pay out of pocket for much of their care during pregnancy, and that many vital services such as ultrasound scans are not included.
November 3, 2022

Early Lessons from the CEO Partnership for Economic Inclusion

By Eric Duflos and Nancy Widjaja A few months after the leaders of the CEO Partnership for Economic Inclusion (CEOP) met for the second time in Davos during the World Economic Forum (WEF), we spent two days working with the companies’ advisors to advance the… Read more
May 23, 2019
The Special Advocate applauded the drive of the CEOP advisors at a recent workshop in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Blog: Doing Business While Doing Good: CEOs Partner to Boost Inclusion

Members of the CEOP met privately to discuss their progress, and also participated in a public event about the initiative.By Eric Duflos   Read more
February 15, 2019
Members of the CEOP met privately to discuss their progress, and also participated in a public event about the initiative.

Blog: For Tanzanian Farmers, Digital Platform Strengthens Every Link in the Value Chain

Tanzanian farmer Martha Emanuel Talanju. Photo credit: Sebnem SenerBy Sebnem Sener Over the past three years, Tanzanian farmer Martha Emanuel Talanju has seen her business growing steadily thanks to a value-chain financing program from the Farm to Market Alliance… Read more
January 8, 2019
Tanzanian farmer Martha Emanuel Talanju. Photo credit: Sebnem Sener

Innovation Serving Tradition: India Stack Meets Mumbai’s Dabbawalas

Vilash and other dabbawalas can now collect instant digital payments for delivering hundreds of thousands of home-cooked lunches every day. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Ruhani KaurEveryone’s talking about the India Stack these days, but what does it mean for real lives of… Read more
September 28, 2018
Vilash and other dabbawalas can now collect instant digital payments for delivering hundreds of thousands of home-cooked lunches every day. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Ruhani Kaur

Blog: On the Fast Track to Digital Financial Inclusion with Indonesia’s Go-Jek

By Nancy Widjaja Anywhere you look in Jakarta these days, you’ll see the bright green helmet and jacket of a Go-Jek motorbike driver carving a path down the crowded streets. Established in 2010 as a ride-hailing service, Go-Jek has become a ubiquitous presence in Indonesia’s cities. Through the… Read more
June 8, 2018
Thousands of Go-Jek drivers—including women drivers like Nilawati, far left—are actively using digital financial services as a result of their partnership with Go-Jek. The company has also facilitated access to loans and insurance for its partners. Photo credit: Robin Utrecht

Casting a Wider Net: Digital Loan Helps Nigerian Fish-Seller Expand Her Business

Tucked away in the bustling Ijesha Market in Lagos, Flora Edojah’s small catfish stall seems as humble as its quiet owner.  Yet waters run deep with the 53-year-old businesswoman—and not just in her catfish pens. With 30 years of experience and a strong entrepreneurial drive, she is a successful… Read more
May 19, 2018

Blog: In Nigeria, New Horizons for Digital Financial Inclusion

By Eric Duflos and Sebnem Sener Last November we were in Nigeria with H.M. Queen Máxima, the Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance, for a visit focusing on financial inclusion. Thanks to our partners in Nigeria and beyond, we arrived with a good understanding of how far the… Read more
March 15, 2018
In Nigeria, Queen Máxima met with women who understand in personal terms the supply and demand sides of mobile money: a Diamond Yello agent and her client. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Robin Utrecht

In Mexico, a Convenience Store Makes Finance Easy

María Teresa Gaytán López met the Special Advocate when she was visiting an OXXO branch in Mexico City to open her first account.Care for a soda with that savings account? For millions of low-income customers throughout Mexico, OXXO corner markets are a ubiquitous… Read more
November 27, 2017
María Teresa Gaytán López met the Special Advocate when she was visiting an OXXO branch in Mexico City to open her first account.

Nigeria's Economic Future Is in Its Hands

The Special Advocate's column on mobile money in Nigeria appeared in three Nigerian papers at the start of her 2017 country visit.By H.M. Read more
October 31, 2017

Cultivating Solutions for Farmers

Transforming agriculture can require more than financing. Thanks to technical assistance, business training, market access, and financing, Dinh Xuan Toan has been able to multiply his income significantly, but the process is complex. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Robin… Read more
October 10, 2017
Transforming agriculture can require more than financing. Thanks to technical assistance, business training, market access, and financing, Dinh Xuan Toan has been able to multiply his income significantly, but the process is complex. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Robin Utrecht

Blog: Four Takeaways from the Fintech and Financial Inclusion Roundtable

The UNSGSA and DNB Governor Klaas Knot hosted fintech innovators and regulators to explore how fintech can thrive and further financial inclusion.By David Symington and Eric Duflos The Special Advocate and Governor Klaas Knot of the De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB)… Read more
July 11, 2017
The UNSGSA and DNB Governor Klaas Knot hosted fintech innovators and regulators to explore how fintech can thrive and further financial inclusion.

Wow! A Human-Centered Success Story

In Indonesia, Susanti’s ability to save and pay for her daughter’s schooling has been transformed by a digital financial product created using a human-centered design process.When development experts think about impact, they think about people like Susanti. A tea… Read more
July 10, 2017
In Indonesia, Susanti’s ability to save and pay for her daughter’s schooling has been transformed by a digital financial product created using a human-centered design process.