The 24th Africa Business Summit, organised by the Africa Business Club at London Business School (LBS) with the support of the Wheeler Institute, brought together influential leaders and a new generation ready to translate Africa’s potential into prosperity. As the event unfolded on May 2, 2026, one question cut through every conversation: how long can…
The Wheeler Institute for Business and Development hosted a research exchange session bringing together colleagues from the Gates Foundation, LBS Faculty, LBS PhD students, and research collaborators. The session aimed to foster dialogue on institutional priorities, ongoing research, with a particular focus on the Foundations’ Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) division, specifically its work in South…
If you were asked where people borrow from for their daily consumption needs, credit cards from mega-banks seem the obvious answer. However, across the developing world where brick-and-mortar banks are often inaccessible, individuals resort to local alternatives: ‘Kiranas’ or small grocery stores. No credit scores. No collateral. No paperwork. Just a shopkeeper’s quick judgment call,…
Over the centuries, innovation has transformed our way of life, giving rise to ideas and technologies that have significantly improved societal wellbeing. At the heart of these breakthroughs are pioneers such as Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb; Malvin De Groote, known for discovering a chemical composition for chocolate ice cream; and Nikola Tesla,…
Jérémie Gallien is the author of several research papers that address healthcare problems in developing economies. He is collaborating with an academic team hailing from London Business School and other institutions in the USA and Liberia and an implementation team of people from the Ministry of Health in Liberia on a research project on reducing…
At a recent Summit Series event, hosted by the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Private Capital in collaboration with the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development, Sir Ronald Cohen, widely regarded as the “father of Impact Investing” and author of IMPACT: Reshaping Capitalism to Drive Real Change, discussed the transformation underway in global capital markets and…
The World Bank’s ‘Learning Poverty’ crisis presents a staggering challenge: the majority of ten-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple text.[1] This is not simply an access problem. Even children who are in school are not receiving teaching adapted to their needs. For too long, development agencies have wrestled with a seemingly…
Communities on the outskirts of León, Nicaragua have faced a dire environmental and public health challenge that has intensified over the past decade. Large-scale deforestation and intensive peanut farming have removed natural windbreaks, leaving soils exposed to strong seasonal winds. The result is tolvaneras, or dust storms, that darken the sky, disrupt daily life, and…
Ghana has a significant political history, as it was the first Sub-Saharan African country to achieve independence from colonial rule in 1957. Despite its role as a forerunner for economic freedom, the country continues to face significant challenges at the core of its development, including but not limited to frequent global economic shocks, fluctuating inflation…
Artificial intelligence, technological disruption, and geopolitical instability are reshaping the policy landscape. In an era defined by overlapping economic and technological transitions, governments face renewed questions about prioritisation: how should states balance immediate social pressures (“butter”) with longer-term strategic and security demands (“guns”)? The Wheeler Institute for Business and Development was delighted to host Philippe…
