Publications

This summary provides highlights of how small businesses can rebuild from the pandemic in a way that helps them face climate change – and how governments, business support organizations and lead firms in international value chains can support them through the Green Recovery Plan.

This major business survey shows that almost 80% of small firms that adopted advanced digital tools reported better production efficiency.

Pharmaceuticals, baby food, cotton clothing and cars are the four focus value chains of this report. 

Cotton production is both a contributor to and a ‘victim’ of climate change. Agricultural production, processing, trade and consumption contribute up to 30% of the world’s emissions when forest clearance is included in the calculation. Cotton production contributes to between 0.3% and 1% of...

A comprehensive guide to the fast-growing field of Islamic banking, this publication describes Islamic financial instruments and provides practical examples of how to use them. It focuses on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in the area of export finance.

African tech hubs play an important role in building fledgling entrepreneurial ecosystems and helping start-ups, but they struggle to earn revenue and become financially sustainable. This second edition has expanded its coverage, adding insights from East African hubs. The report, based on...

The goal of Kenya’s Textile and Clothing (T&C) Value Chain Roadmap is to set the sector on the course of strategic development by addressing constraints in a comprehensive manner and defining concrete opportunities that can be realized through the specific steps detailed in its Plan of Action...

Online marketplaces are the dominant form of e-commerce for consumer goods in developed countries. They are also prominent across Africa, offering great potential to serve a new generation of consumers and open opportunities for small entrepreneurs. But little is known about these marketplaces in...

This report helps small businesses comply with trade rules when selling goods through e-commerce to the European Union and the United States.

The goal of Ethiopia’s Textile and Clothing (T & C) Value Chain Roadmap is to set the sector on the course of strategic development by addressing constraints in a comprehensive manner and defining concrete opportunities that can be realized through the specific steps detailed in its Plan of...

This paper guides exporters, packers and processors of organic food products through packaging sourcing and selection options. It helps them understand requirements and formulate their own packaging strategies, thereby creating new opportunities and competitiveness in their business. It includes an...

Challenging the notion that developing countries essentially export commodities, this book showcases the diversity of trade in services that flourishes in developing and least developed countries. With 28 case studies of entrepreneurs from 18 developing countries in a wide range of trade in service...