Publications

The SME Competitiveness Outlook 2021 analyses how small businesses can rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic so they are prepared to face the looming climate crisis. It provides a 20-point Green Recovery Plan to foster competitive, resilient and environmentally sustainable small and medium-sized...

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 report, based on interviews with dozens of hubs across Africa, examines what hubs do, how they make an impact...

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya are an underexploited resource with significant potential to boost inclusive growth.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia play a key role in boosting growth and job creation.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Botswana are engines of job creation with significant potential to foster economic diversification.

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.

Increasing the competitiveness of small firms in the Philippines is vital to build resilience to shocks while promoting sustainable and inclusive growth.

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.

Small firms are at the heart of Eswatini’s participation in international value chains. But they often struggle to trade due to production capacity constraints, including inadequate managerial skills and certification, failure to engage with business support organizations and weak linkages with...

Cambodia's small and medium-sized enterprises play a central role in the country's economy and development, but face a number of challenges that have been further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To be part of value chains dominated by large global players, small and medium-sized enterprises need a sound business environment, ready access to finance, and institutional support to reach new markets and to defend their interests.

Most investors seek information about local suppliers before making decisions to invest. This report uses ITC data on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) competitiveness at macro, meso and micro-level to de-risk investment decisions.