ITC publications bring the business voice to sustainable trade, with a focus on developing countries. We offer guidance for trade policymakers, business support organizations and small firms. Our reports offer insights to make trade more inclusive, green, digital and competitive.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa can tackle e-commerce barriers such as formalization, e-payments and delivery by joining forces through collaborative business models. This paper examines the pros and cons of three models – associations, consortiums and cooperatives – and...
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are important actors in all economies and key to policies for inclusive growth, innovation, productivity and job creation. However, they tend to be trapped in low value-added tasks and commodity dependence. This joint paper with the World Economic Forum sets...
This guide shows small garment manufacturers how to cost both traditional and value-added services they can offer their clients. It also shows how to reduce costs while aligning production processes and being better informed when engaging in contract negotiations.
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...
Boosting the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in Burkina Faso can make them more resilient to crises, ITC’s SME Competitiveness Survey and COVID-19 Business Impact Surveys find. Limited access to finance, low certification rates and inadequate infrastructure are...
BRICS countries (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) have a fast-growing share in global services markets. Improving services regulations and reducing trade costs will help them tap into their potential, especially for high value-added services and digital trade. ...
This volume brings together contributions from leading policymakers and thought leaders from all across the world on how to shape our economies. Written entirely by women, this book is not about women. It is written by women who want to encourage everyone, including the 50% of the global...
More than a third of Tanzanian companies have fully or partially resolved trade obstacles in the last six years. Government-led initiatives and regulatory reforms have helped ease exporters’ difficulties.
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...
Colombia’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a central role in building economic resilience, creating jobs and driving inclusive growth. They also face unique challenges, some of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on data from the International...
