Wheels of Trade

It is widely acknowledged that small enterprises need access to a wide range of business development services (training, information etc.) if they are to expand and therefore create more jobs. Historically, though, donor-funded interventions have not reached the scale required to make a significant impact on the overall situation. High levels of subsidy have tended to create dependency and interventions, which run in parallel with the day-to-day workings of the small enterprise sector. This book presents the findings from the ILO's FIT programme which has worked to define and explore a different approach to the provision of Business Development Services (BDS), mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. It has shown that some services can be provided sustainably by for-profit providers, and it has defined various ways in which those providers can be supported, so that they can provide more services, to a higher standard than before. This book chronicles those experiences, drawing also on relevant insights gained in other Samll Enterprise Development (SED) projects worldwide. This book sets out a new and practical approach to BDS which calls for constant reassessment of the assumptions underlying small business development and for substantial adaptation of current working methods, in order to improve results. The solutions contained in this book come at a time when challenges posed by unemployment and under-employment are greater than ever before. It will provide a great source of information and inspiration to donor agencies and professionals working in the SED field.