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- Volume 2019, Issue 2, 2019
International Trade Forum - Volume 2019, Issue 2, 2019
Volume 2019, Issue 2, 2019
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Financing for small firms
Author: Arancha GonzálezIn September 2015, the international community gathered at United Nations Headquarters to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. An important component of ensuring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are achieved is the financing behind them. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda, agreed at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in July 2015, aimed to place on the spotlight on the need to mobilise the necessary financing.
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Women and e-commerce in Central America
Authors: JUDITH UEBERSCHAER and CRISTINA COLLADO MARTISome 200 women-led businesses from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama are to export their handicrafts through e-commerce channels.
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Geneva could become the international centre of sustainable finance
Author: ALEXANDRE EPALLEIt is essential to mobilize financial centres to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable economy. The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be financed only by public funds, so it is imperative to generate private capital. We believe in joint action by the public and private sectors to take advantage of the opportunities associated with sustainability. In this context, the role of the financial sector is key.
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Using European funds to leverage private finance for sustainable development
Author: STEFANO MANSERVISIMicro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the engines of growth, jobs and innovation in all economies. They have vision. They generate new business ideas. And they are the lifeblood of communities. In the European Union (EU), they account for 99% of all businesses, and 85% of all jobs. In Africa, they make up 90% of companies and 50% of output. MSMEs play an invaluable role in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals and tackling inequality.
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The current work plan of the WTO Informal Working Group on MSMEs
Author: JOSÉ LUIS CANCELAThe Informal Working Group on MSMEs, as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are known, outlined three key objectives for 2019: 1) to achieve concrete deliverables; 2) to expand the Group’s membership; and 3) to secure commitment by ministers at the twelfth World Trade Organization ministerial conference (MC12) in Kazakhstan and aim for a ministerial declaration.
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Bridging the MSME financing gap for sustainable development
Author: FREDA OBENG-AMPOFOIn the Ghanaian Akan language, the phrase ‘kaeme’ (pronounced /’kai.me/) means ‘forget me not.’ It embodies the feeling I wanted each Kaeme product to evoke when I started the company in May 2016. What started as a delightful hobby for me evolved into a business venture I could never have seen coming, one whose potential for growth continues to amaze me. For over a decade before, I had been making and gifting my own skincare products, made with love from wholesome Ghanaian ingredients. They were distinct from other commercial offerings because of their improved textures and scent profiles; these handcrafted cosmetics were not like anything available on the local or international market.
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Bringing global finance to small businesses
Author: NDEYE THIAWFledgling businesses in Francophone West Africa need nothing so much as access to financing in order to grow and thrive. Their problem in many cases is twofold: finding a knowledgeable, affordable source while wading into unfamiliar loan and credit processes. Local banking procedures might be opaque or strewn with red tape, while accountability and collateral demands create new headaches for managers struggling under their day-today workload.
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Angel investing is on the rise in Africa
Author: ANDERS AEROEAfrican early-stage investing has been growing tremendously in the last five years. Of the 22 Africa-based venture capital funds, 41% were launched after 2016.* African start-ups raised more than $725 million in 2018 alone across 458 deals from early stage investors**. Recent initial public offerings like the one by Nigeria-based e-commerce company Jumia, catalysed world interest in the African start-up ecosystem and managed to attract more capital for high-growth local businesses than few years ago.
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Creating the right business environment for SMEs
Author: RUSLAN SPIVAKThere is nothing new in the concept that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of every economy, especially in developing countries. While being one of the main contributors to employment and providing sufficient share in GDP and trade balance, SMEs are highly dependent upon macroeconomic conditions. They represent the most vulnerable part of the business environment, although the most adaptive. Thus, financing of SMEs relies on specific factors that can sufficiently improve bank readiness for providing needed resources.
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Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress
Small enterprises make up the bulk of businesses in Pakistan. To achieve broad, sustainable economic growth, these firms must grow and create jobs for the increasing number of people entering the workforce. Livestock and horticulture – which account for 70% of value added agriculture – have particularly strong growth potential due to rising demand, opportunities for climate adaptation and participation of women.
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Isatou Jobe’s secret ingredient for success
Author: WAQAS RAFIQUETap-tap-tap went the knife on the chopping board and two more finely diced onions were ready to be thrown into the crackling oil in the pan. Onions are essential for bringing out the flavour of jollof rice, a popular menu item at this restaurant in Farafenni, outside the Gambian capital Banjul.
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A cup of tea from Sri Lanka
Authors: WAQAS RAFIQUE and RAASHID RIZABreak the ice, cure a headache, host a guest or simply relax. All you need is a cup of tea.
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Taking farmers back to school
Author: AMAN GOELWe trained 80 farmers over three days in the middle of the Tanzanian forests to help them become experts at adding value to cinnamon, one of the local treasures. We worked with a master trainer from Sri Lanka who was surprised by the fast progress farmers made in a short time. Sri Lankan producers, who have worked with cinnamon for 2,000 years, took only three months to perfect cinnamon quill-making for the farmers.
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Happy Culture, an innovative approach to beekeeping
Authors: MUJINGA TAMBWE and SADIQ SYEDAfter spending nearly four years in Morocco looking for opportunities, a young Mamadou Cery Barry returned to his country, Guinea. He opted to pursue beekeeping on his farm in Ditinn, located within the municipality of Mamou in Middle Guinea.
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Trade and invest in one Africa
Author: NATALIE DOMEISENThe focus is on implementing the newly agreed African Continental Free Trade Area by putting the voice of businesses first, especially those featuring women and young entrepreneurs.
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