EU-ACP: 10th EDF country strategy papers adopted

A good number of country strategy papers for the implementation of the 10th European Development Fund in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries have now been adopted and signed. They are available on EC website at:
http://ec.europa.eu/development/how/iqsg/documents_library_en.cfm

A rapid overview of the 31 CSPs that were signed on 9 December 2007 at the occasion of the EU-Africa Lisbon Summit shows that:
- in general, the strategies seem to be more focused on a limited number of priorities (not more than 2 in most cases) than in the case of the 9th EDF.
- Non-state actors are often mentioned but no full and detailed inventory of envisaged support to civil society has been made yet.
- Governance is a focal sector in 12 countries which represent more 39% of the countries.
- Infrastructure (including mainly transport but also the rehabilitation of basic infrastructures in post conflict situations like Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as energy and water infrastructures) is a focal sector in 22 countries (70%). Transport has always been a key sector of the EDF. For the coming 6 years, the focus will be on regional connections with the building of main regional road axes in view of promoting regional integration and trade relations.
- Regional integration and trade is effectively mentioned as a focal sector in 11 cases and most generally combined with transport except in the case of Cameroon and Congo Brazzaville.
- Another important focal sector mentioned in 9 CSPs is rural development, in certain cases combined with agriculture and in others with food security.
- Water and sanitation is also mentioned in 5 CSPs and energy in 3.
- Social sectors are to be supported mainly through general budget support but are however specifically mentioned as a focal sector in 6 cases for education and only 3 cases for health (Burundi, Swaziland, and Zambia).

For 31 countries, however, the CSP is not yet posted on the website and many signatures are still pending. Not all countries are eligible to general budget support, in several cases, sectoral budget support is envisaged for supporting the focal sectors while no general budget support is provided. Source: EU News

Filed under: ACP, Africa, Caribbean, Development, European Union, Publications, Trade

Google.org names TechnoServe a Strategic Partner in International Development

Google.org has also awarded TechnoServe a new multi-year grant of $3 million to expand the organization’s private-sector development efforts. The focus of the strategic partnership is to spur the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are vital to ending the cycle of poverty in developing countries. SMEs create the bulk of new ideas and jobs in most developed economies, but they are scarce in other parts of the world, mainly due to a lack of access to business training and capital. ”Small and medium enterprises are a powerful engine of growth, jobs and opportunities,” says Google.org manager Rachel Payne. ”We have chosen TechnoServe as a strategic partner because of the organization’s long track record of working with entrepreneurial people to give them the tools, training and access to capital that they need to create viable businesses.”
http://www.technoserve.org/press_room/googlegrant.aspx

TechnoServe has launched a nonprofit channel on YouTube that will feature some of the entrepreneurs participating in our business plan competitions, as well as other videos highlighting TechnoServe’s impact in various sectors and countries around the world. The channel launches with seven entrepreneur profiles from TechnoServe’s Believe Begin Become national business plan competition in Tanzania.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=BelieveBeginBecome

Filed under: Development, Links, Web 2.0

UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2007-2008

The Information Economy Report 2008 reveals that although most developing countries remain far behind industrialized nations in availability and use of information and communication technology (ICT), some are emerging as major global suppliers of ICT products and services. The report analyses the current – and potential – contribution of ICT to knowledge creation and diffusion. It provides latest figures on the global digital divide and looks at how developing countries use ICT to improve the livelihoods of the poor and support enterprise competitiveness. The Report also explores the links between ICT use by enterprises, innovation and development, the role of mobile telephony, e-banking, and e-commerce legislation in developing countries. The Report will contribute to a roundtable debate planned for UNCTAD XII (20-25 April in Accra, Ghana) with the theme ”Harnessing knowledge and technology for development”.
http://www.unctad.org/press

Filed under: Development, Publications, Technology

ILO Global Employment Trends 2008

Economic turbulence largely due to credit market turmoil and rising oil prices could spur an increase in global unemployment by an estimated 5 million persons in 2008. This is one of the main findings in the GET report 2008. This new projection for 2008 is in contrast to 2007, a watershed year in which sound global GDP growth, led to a ”stabilization” of global labour markets with more people in work.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/download/get08.pdf

Filed under: Development, ILO, Migration, Networks, Publications

OECD publishes Principles and guidelines to promote sustainable lending practices in the provision of Official Export Credits to Low Income Countries

The provision of official export credits to public and publicly guaranteed buyers in low income countries should reflect Sustainable Lending practices (lending that supports a borrowing country’s economic and social progress without endangering its financial future and long-term development prospects). Export Credits Guarantees (ECG) Members agree to apply principles to obtain reasonable assurances that their commercial lending decisions are not likely to contribute to debt distress in the future in relation to any official export credit with a repayment term of one year or more.

http://www.oecd.org/topic/0,3373,en_2649_34169_1_1_1_1_37431,00.html

Filed under: OECD, Publications, Trade

European Commission prepares Small Business Act

The European Commission launched a public consultation on the content of a European ”Small Business Act”. Its objective is to put small and medium sized enterprises at the forefront of decision-making in the EU and to introduce concrete measures to unlock the SMEs’ growth potential. It will include new initiatives to reduce regulatory burden on SMEs, facilitate access to Single Market/public procurement, help provide necessary financial/human resources for SME development and help SMEs face the challenge of globalization and climate change. The preparation of a ”Small Business Act” for Europe is one of the key measures announced in the Commission’s package for the next cycle of the Growth and Jobs Strategy adopted last December.
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=1274

Filed under: Entrepreneurship, European Union

EC Vice President Verheugen launches Enterprise Europe Network

European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen launched Enterprise Europe Network, a new and powerful European support network for enterprises. All major players of the business support community in Europe have united to offer a one-stop service to assist especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop their full potential and innovative capacity. With more than 500 contact points and almost 4,000 experienced staff, Enterprise Europe Network is the largest network in Europe providing expertise and services for business. These are available to companies of all sizes irrespective of whether they are in manufacturing or services, although they are primarily directed at small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise-europe-network

Filed under: Clusters, Development, Directories, Entrepreneurship, European Union, Networks

Cluster Management: A Practical Guide, by GTZ

This GTZ-manual provides an encompassing and concise overview of methods and instruments of cluster management. It was developed in Croatia commissioned by the GTZ and financed by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is, however, not only applicable to Croatia and to other transformation countries, but by all means suitable for a worldwide use. In addition to being useful for cluster management as such, it can also be applied to other forms of enterprise cooperation which go beyond pure supplier-buyer-relationships.

Part A: Overview.

http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/07-1496.pdf

Cluster Management – A Practical Guide. Part B: Tools

http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/07-1498.pdf

German version: Überblick:
http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/07-1492.pdf
, Tools:
http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/07-1494.pdf

Filed under: Clusters, Development, Publications, Research, Rural Economies

GTZ-Reader: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Systems for Rural Development

Knowledge Management (KM) is a relatively novel management concept. It has been pushed by the rapid developments of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT facilitates a speedy exchange of data, information and documents. There is groupware for communication; content management systems to organise and retrieve documents; expert systems, data mining and text mining systems, tracing services and search engines, e.g. Google. Communication via email, fax, and phone- and video-conferences is ordinary business. It is good guessing that technological advances will continue to revolutionize the way we communicate and interact with each other. While the speed and ease to exchange data and information will increase, a new challenge for users emerges: to select relevant data, information and documents. To better understand potential and limitations it is importance to recognise the differences between data, information and knowledge.

http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/doc/en-Knowledge-Management-Reader-2007.pdf

Filed under: Development, Publications, Rural Economies

Moving Toward Competitiveness: A Value-Chain Approach

Developing countries face tremendous opportunities for economic growth given economic liberalization worldwide, and rapid advancement and application of information and communications technologies. However, along with the many opportunities global network trade has to offer, firms in developing countries also face strong competitive pressures for greater efficiency and productivity to maintain market share or even survive. A strong business environment based on sound institutions and policies is a necessary basis for enhanced competitiveness of private firms that produce and deliver goods and services. When business environment constraints – inefficiencies and cost disadvantages – can be identified, policy makers have the opportunity to jumpstart economic reform processes that target priority areas along the product/service life cycle known as the value chain. This technical report outlines a pragmatic approach for analyzing value chain performance as the basis for identifying binding constraints to growth and competitiveness. This approach is intended to facilitate formulating a targeted reform agenda.

http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/fias.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/MovingTowardCompetitiveness/$FILE/Value+Chain+Manual.pdf

Filed under: Development, Publications, Value Chains

The Role of Remittances in Leveraging Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

This Accion Internacional paper deliberates on the type of financial services which can help leverage the economic impact of remittances.
http://www.microfinancegateway.org/files/46093_file_46.pdf

Filed under: Development, Migration, Publications, Remittances

Banking on Development : private banks and aid donors in developing countries

The aim of this ECD Working Paper No. 263 is precisely to contribute to this debate and process. It highlights how private banks and other private financial operators like private equity firms and investments funds, can play a pivotal role in economic development. All in all, they are interesting potential partners for public aid donors willing to deepen impacts on developing countries. As documented, some of the private banking firms are more active in specific regions. UK and French banks seem, for example, to be potential interesting partners for aid donors in Africa while Spanish banks or US counterparts are more relevant for Latin America and German, Swiss and Italian banks for Eastern Europe. Beyond international banks, local private banks in Brazil, India, South Africa, Morocco and other developing countries are becoming increasingly aware and sensitive to economic, social and environmental impacts.

http://lysander.sourceoecd.org/vl=1107072/cl=11/nw=1/rpsv/cgi-bin/wppdf?file=5l4bhbfrf037.pdf

Filed under: Development, Publications, Research

Remittances from Germany and their Routes to Migrants’ Origin Countries

Germany is one of the most important countries of origin for remittances— money transfers from migrants. In 2006 they amounted to approximately ten billion euros. However, as this study shows, migrants face considerable difficulties with the transfer process. Despite its large volume, the market for money transfers is extremely intransparent. Intensive research is needed to discover which financial institutions offer what kind of services, and at what cost. In some cases the cost of these services is extremely high. The result is that transfers are frequently made through informal channels.
http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/07-1374.pdf

Filed under: Development, Germany, Migration, Remittances, Research

Vaccinate your business against bad times

You are an owner of a small or medium-sized enterprise or self-employed. You invest 15 minutes of your time. You gain a preventive screening of your business that might save you a lot of time and money in the future! This really is an official EC site.
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/sme2chance/ewt/self_assessment.cfm

Filed under: Links

Directory of Research Centres at International Poverty Centre

The Directory currently covers 540 institutions doing research on poverty, inequality and development in 27 countries in Latin America and 200 institutions in 38 sub-Saharan African countries. This directory is an effort to strengthen links among research centres in developing countries and foster South-South Cooperation on poverty research and training.
http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/site/CentreSearch.do

Filed under: Directories, Links, Research

Intute: Social Sciences

Intute: Social Sciences is the subject group of Intute that provides Web resources for education and research for the social sciences, including law, business, hospitality, sport and tourism. Intute: Social Sciences has been created by bringing together two of the Hubs of the Resource Discovery Network (RDN): Altis and SOSIG. In combining the resources and services of these two services, Intute: Social Sciences offers an easy to use and powerful tool for discovering the best Internet resources in this important range of subjects.
http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/

Filed under: Links