The Kenyan Development Network Consortium held a “co-creation” workshop on Friday and Saturday, April 7-8, in Washington DC. (KDNC was founded by Macharia Waruingi, a long-time member of NextBillion.) Participants were mostly members of the Kenyan diaspora, working professionals with a passionate interest in bringing development benefits to Kenya through private sector vehicles. The event’s agenda focused on the health, agriculture, housing and ICT sectors, and appropriately drew attendees whose careers were in these fields.

Dr. Wilson Endege, a biotechnology researcher at the Harvard Institute of Proteomics, and Sam Njoroge, a Manufacturing Engineer of medical devices at MEDEFAB, discussed the possibility of establishing in-country manufacturing facilities for basic drugs and devices. The workshop was attended by several highly experienced ICT professionals and entrepreneurs who discussed ideas to bring connectivity to Kenya. Present were Joseph Manthi, CEO of Wanza Technologies; William S. Odongo, President of TKN Global Spectrum, a company specializing in management information systems (MIS) applications; and Peter S. Maina, President and COO of GeoNet (satellite-enabled low cost, high speed Internet and telephony).

We received a notice recently that the Acumen Fund was celebrating its 5-year birthday. That's remarkable, because the organization, with a mission to create and support sustainable enterprises that deliver affordable healthcare, water, and housing to the poor, has accomplished an amazing amount in so short a time, including:

• More than six million Africans each year have access to life-saving long-lasting insecticide-treated malaria bednets.
• Almost 7,000 farmers have seen their crops and incomes improve significantly through the purchase of drip irrigation systems.
• 12,000 women in Pakistan have access to credit and borrowed to build their small businesses and improve their incomes.
• 430,000 low-cost healthcare services have been provided to rural Kenyans
• 18,000 South Africans are receiving anti-retroviral treatments through networks of private clinics.
• More than 5,000 people in Southern India have access to affordable, clean water for the first time.
• More than 2,000 people, most of them women, now have steady jobs.

In the last couple of weeks a number of issues near and dear to my heart
have gone mainstream...or at least they are getting a little more of the
limelight, which is fine by me. But, how did this happen? And what
does it have to do with emerging market investments in sustainable enterprise?

HBO recently debuted a movie in Washington DC called "Too Hot Not To Handle" that featured scientists talking about climate change. It was
well attended and featured speakers Senators McCain and Lieberman. Wait, what!?

Something seems out of place. HBO, the home of "The Sopranos" produced this film? Well, yes, and not only because of Laurie David, but also because climate change has become an issue that interests even an audience who spends their sunday night's watching the mafia murder someone.