Publications

This SME Competitiveness Outlook assesses the impact of conflict and fragility on business performance. It unveils a Fragility Exposure Index, and shows that fragility, as experienced by firms, can be reduced by 25% if they take actions to reinforce competitiveness. These include engaging with...

Trade improves the food supply of least developed countries (LDCs), but import dependence on concentrated suppliers of cereals, vegetable oils and sugar threatens their food security. In 2022, increasing food  and fertiliser prices, the war in Ukraine and export restrictions depressed LDC food...

Four services sectors are key to an economic transformation. This report calls them 'connected services.' Transport and logistics, financial services, information and communication technologies, and business and professional services contribute directly to economic growth – with an increasing...

Young entrepreneurs face markedly higher barriers than their older peers to access finance and expand their business. The International Trade Centre, through its YE! Community, has surveyed young entrepreneurs to understand their main funding needs and challenges they face when trying to obtain...

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya are an underexploited resource with significant potential to boost inclusive growth.Drawing on data from the SME Competitiveness Survey, this report finds that even though Kenyan companies organize their production processes professionally and have a...

Thanks to a more services-based economy and the prestige associated with women’s entrepreneurship, new opportunities allow Nigerian women to play a more active role in business.Nigerian businesswomen need support for registration and certification, banking, skills development and flexible work...

Buying quinoa contributes to better livelihoods for rural Peruvian communities, according to a new ITC study. The study provides much-needed data on the impact of changing market prices on the welfare of rural households in the altiplano of Peru. The findings inform policymakers about the benefits...

Benefitting from the LDC services waiver depends on taking 10 key actions; ITC can help.The guide also outlines how ITC can work with LDCs to benefit from this new preferential access opportunity

What keeps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana from being competitive in international markets is often not of their own making, such as unreliable electricity and high interest rates. This report outlines these and other findings from the SME Competitiveness Survey, which surveyed...

Increasing annual investments in small and medium-sized enterprises by $1 trillion would yield disproportionate dividends in terms of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. These investments also have the potential to deliver healthy returns for investors.To boost investment in...

La Perspective de la compétitivité des PME soutient que les petites et moyennes entreprises sont le « maillon manquant » de la croissance solidaire.L’argument, qui se fonde sur trois piliers de la croissance solidaire - utilisation des outils internet, concurrence, et changement - montre que...

Les Prévisions de la compétitivité des PME soutiennent que les petites et moyennes entreprises sont le « maillon manquant » de la croissance solidaire.L’argument, qui se fonde sur trois piliers de la croissance solidaire - utilisation des outils internet, concurrence, et changement - montre...