Sustainable Business Models for MFIs to Deliver Renewable Energy

The Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation's (NWTF) success story on achieving scale and sustainability for their solar program focuses on two aspects: demand generation through marketing and education by dedicated program officers, and product support (technical support, inventory management, returns, distribution) through partners and suppliers. NWTF’s dedicated team of solar officers orient MFI clients on the benefits of using solar, provide basic troubleshooting when needed, and contribute to portfolio growth by adding more loans.

Women-Centric Mini-Grid Enterprises in South Asia: Micro Hydropower in Nepal and Pakistan

Renewable energy mini-grids are becoming a widely accepted solution for cost-effective and reliable energy access. Hydro mini-grids in Nepal and Pakistan reveal that the long-term sustainability of projects is dependent on whether they are run as enterprises that generate revenue which is re-invested into the project. Our experiences show that women-centric approaches to mini-grid ownership, management, and productive end-use result in longer-lived micro-hydropower systems.

Nidup Tshering

Nidup Tshering works as a Social Development Consultant (GAD) for ADB in Bhutan. With a background in Development Management, he has been working with ADB for the last twelve years designing and implementing social projects. His recent works include the development of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) Blueprint for Bhutan.

Fiza Farhan

Fiza Farhan is a Pakistan-based entrepreneur and development expert, featured in the US Magazine Forbes “30 Under 30 List of Social Entrepreneurs” for 2015 and again in Forbes Asia List of” 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs in 2016”. She represents Pakistan on the United Nation's Secretary General's first-ever High-Level Panel on Women Economic Empowerment along with global leadership in addition to being the Chairperson of Chief Minister Punjab’s Task Force on Women Empowerment and member of the National Steering Committee on Climate Change for Pakistan.

Yoojung Jang

Yoojung is a Social Development Specialist in South Asia DepartmentofADB and working on energy sector projects in terms of social safeguards and gender. She has 15years of professional experience in environmental and social management. Before joining ADB, she worked for the Export-Import Bank of Korea responsible for private sector projects’ environmental and social due diligence. She holds degrees in Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering and Business Administration from the Seoul National University, Korea and in Environmental Health from the KNOU, Korea.

Discussion on "Changes in Labor Force Participation in China"

In discussing the presentation on the “Changes in Labor Force Participation in China” by Suqin Ge and Junsen Zhang, the presenter acknowledges the decline in female labor force participation rate in the PRC. He further suggests that this regression would indicate several possible drivers. He also hinted that by comparing the PRC’s female labor force participation with that of other Asian countries, an underlying narrative may possibly emerge.