Private sector

private sector

As the main driver of economic growth, the private sector can also contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic growth. That is why Enabel supports the private sector in three ways: By improving the business environment in its partner countries, by structuring value chains and economic sectors and by promoting entrepreneurship with a view to fostering inclusive growth and reducing economic and social inequality.

WHAT WE DO

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Enabel supports private sector actors by means of grants, competitive funds, expertise and support to business incubators and pays particular attention to women entrepreneurship. We promote a favourable business environment, we support capacity development with vocational and business skills training and we assist Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in developing their activities.

Improving business environments

Together with our partner countries we invest in skills development, improved infrastructure and an educational system which is adjusted to labour market needs. Enabel believes in the need for good governance and up-to-date fiscal and legal frameworks to provide a conducive environment for private sector investments.

Strengthening value chains and economic sectors

Strengthening value chains means supporting everyone involved in production, from the farmer who grows pineapples, to the small enterprise collecting them, the medium enterprise cleaning and packing the fruit, the enterprise providing solutions to packaging or shipping or the plant processing the pineapples into juice or the outlet selling the end product to an individual. We assist our partners to professionalise producers’ organisations and improve product quality, to enhance management capacities and gain better access to markets. In Senegal, for example, Enabel supports the development of agro-industrial infrastructure . In Burkina Faso, we promote sustainable entrepreneurship in order to encourage the emergence and consolidation of small and medium-sized businesses in the green economy, agribusiness and small-scale production.In Guinea, we focus on inclusive businesses in growth sectors such as the pineapple, mango and potato value chains, tourism & hospitality, sustainable cities and the digital sector. We support Rwanda’s efforts to develop the poultry and pork value chains, by attracting private investments on the one hand and helping family production to professionalise on the other. In Benin our primary focus is on the pineapple value chain as well as the cashew industry.

Creating and developing businesses

The third action domain regards strengthening entrepreneurs and businesses by ensuring they benefit from adapted services, so they can grow and improve their performance, and thus create social and economic added value as well as jobs.

We focus on improving the match between the offer of financial and non-financial services and the demands of businesses. We do not offer financing, but by supporting initiatives, building capacities and putting parties in touch, we ensure that entrepreneurs on the one hand meet the conditions for receiving financial products by local financing actors, and on the other, that such local financing actors (such as microfinance institutions) increasingly offer adapted solutions. In some cases, we are involved in risk mitigating mechanisms, such as guarantees. We combine this with Business Development Services including mentoring and coaching in management, marketing, sales and HR. Special attention is given to the specific needs of female entrepreneurs.

Furthermore, the Trade for Development Centre provides coaching and direct business development support to fair trade businesses, producers and cooperatives.