How can development cooperation have a sustainable impact?
How can development cooperation have a sustainable impact?
With Agenda 2030, the global community intends to make environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable development possible around the world. Together with national governments, civil society, and the private sector, social enterprises are making a critical contribution to these efforts by devising solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, implementing them at local level over the long term with a viable business model. We work with social enterprises in developing and emerging countries to reduce existential deficits while creating structures that facilitate sustainable business and open up economic prospects. Technologies with societal impact that are adapted to local conditions have a particularly important role to play in this.
Essential services: promoting access to vital products
Together with social enterprises, we are helping to bring about a lasting improvement in essential services, particularly: water, sanitation, clean energy, mobility, food, and health. Securing access to these vital products and services improves people’s quality of life and gives them new opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
Climate and environment: promoting sustainable economic activity
Climate change and the destruction of the environment call for rapid, concerted action. People in the Global South are being hit especially hard by the impact of climate change. Together with our partners, we are supporting the development of environmentally friendly, technology-based solutions and socially responsible business models that use resources sustainably to create renewable systems.
Economic perspectives: promoting jobs with a future and fair working conditions
Strong social enterprises allow people to grow their individual skills and acquire new ones, while also creating urgently needed jobs. This is why we support particularly high-growth social enterprises that offer fair working conditions and opportunities for development.
Our operational portfolio includes hands-on water-, clean energy-, and e-mobility-based projects with a social entrepreneurial focus, as well as numerous initiatives supporting social entrepreneurs in emerging economies. From mentoring and networking to knowledge transfer and access to finance, we either implement our own projects together with partners while also supporting selected social enterprises in developing and emerging countries.
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Our efforts contribute to the United Nations‘ global Sustainable Development Goals. Together with more than 50 partners from the development cooperation ecosystem, including international NGOs, social enterprises, and public- and private-sector development cooperation stakeholders, we are also involved in initiatives that pool expertise and promote knowledge transfer amongst the various organizations.
Press releases and news
“2nd SESA Call for Entrepreneurs 2023” is open
- Harnessing the scaling and replication potential of sustainable energy solutions in Africa: “2nd SESA Call for Entrepreneurs 2023” is open.
Call for R&D in E-Mobility: Testing and piloting sustainable transport in Ghana and Uganda
- Siemens Stiftung launches a new call for R&D to validate and implement products and business models in the e-mobility sector. Enterprises operative in the e-mobility value chain in Ghana and Uganda can apply for the call now.
Background reports
Sustainability as a Growth Engine
- A reportage of projects in a country aiming to expand its economic power sustainably and without detours, and the role that social enterprises play in this.
Toward green economy with climate and gender equality: Three Kenyan social enterprises pave the way
- The “epScale Funding Call Promoting Women in the Green Economy” supports social enterprises that have a positive impact on the environment along with strengthening economic opportunities for women.
Topic pages
Publications
Social Entreprises as Job Creators in Africa
A three-part study by Siemens Stiftung and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation, estimates that one million new jobs could be created by social enterprises by 2030 in the twelve countries investigated alone, and sets out recommendations to leverage this potential.
E-Mobility Solutions for Rural Sub-Saharan-Africa
Rural sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to drive e-mobility implementation across the continent. Our Reader provides an insight into some of the technologies and business models currently available and supplies reliable data on the region.
Project portals
empowering people. Network
Our empowering people. Network brings together social enterprises that use smart technologies to improve basic services in developing regions and create economic prospects. The website showcases the innovative solutions and the organizations behind them, while sharing key lessons learned.
WeTu
WeTu is a social enterprise set up by Siemens Stiftung that works on innovative solutions to supply energy and drinking water in East Africa. It is also deploying the first-ever electric vehicles developed for rural Africa.
TeamUp
In collaboration with the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (German Foundation for World Population), and Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung, the TeamUp program creates new opportunities for young people in rural regions of East Africa.
Christine Janezic
christine.janezic@siemens-stiftung.org
+49 89 540487 301
Marah Köberle
marah.koeberle@siemens-stiftung.org
+49 89 540487 306
