Meet Jean-Guy, a middle-aged man of African descent, who has lived in France for the past six years. He relocated from his hometown in Senegal in search of a well-paying job that would allow him to save the equivalent of 6,000 Euros. Once obtained, Jean-Guy intends to use his savings to start a water distribution service that will allow him to support his large extended family and secure himself a sustainable retirement in his beloved village.

Jean-Guy's story is not uncommon to many immigrants from the bottom billion, indeed it points to persisting failures in contemporary approaches to poverty alleviation in the developing world. International aid discussions give little thought to the likes of Jean-Guy, who are fundamental drivers of African economies, and how they can be engaged in sustainable wealth creation opportunities. It is no wonder, then, that the latter vote with their feet and simply relocate to most of the G8 countries for better economic opportunities.

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Instead of focusing on how to further engage entrepreneurs in sustainable wealth creation opportunities, we focus on bed nets, vaccines, and used shoes. This is unfortunate because a nation’s entrepreneurial activity and initiative are key indicators of its likelihood to escape the poverty trap. It is therefore imperative that we reconcile access to finance, local entrepreneurial energies, and the provision of humanitarian necessities. The increased use of social finance in contemporary development orthodoxy would achieve just that.

Social finance can be defined as the use of financial instruments in the funding of ventures or projects that result in significant economic returns and social benefits for a community. This approach to supporting positive outcomes in underprivileged communities might at first seem extremely similar to conventional budget-to-project approaches to international development funding.

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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is no longer just a matter of charity. In an age when much of society is defined and engineered around value-creation, corporations can no longer afford to design business models that are dissociated from environmental and social responsibility. The failure to reconcile business activity with society's wellness is no longer free of consequences.

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