Inclusive Growth

The main goal of Enabel’s work with the private sector and entrepreneurship is inclusive growth. Growth in which women, young people and vulnerable groups participate, but also growth that respects the environment and decent work standards. Through our Inclusive Growth actions, we improve business environments, create and develop businesses and strengthen value chains and economic sectors.

What we do

Improving business environments

Along with improving governance and regulatory frameworks, we are providing a conducive environment for inclusive economic initiatives. This means supporting business incubators and accelerators, working with sector federations and associations and organisations that specifically work on women & youth entrepreneurship.

Through our partnership approach, we connect the ecosystem of business development services providers and assist them in their sustainability.

In order to provide the private sector with skilled employees, we closely work together with TVET institutions to serve demand-driven employment.

Creating and developing businesses

Strengthening entrepreneurs and businesses is important for us. We do this 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, on the one hand, that entrepreneurs meet the conditions for receiving financial products from local financing actors, and on the other hand, that 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 women entrepreneurs.

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

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 for packaging and shipping, or the factory processing the pineapples into juice, or the outlet selling the end product to an individual.

Enabel’s efforts on structuring value chains focus on professionalising producers’ organisations, improving product quality and enabling better access to markets. When these elements are in place, small and medium-sized businesses have more opportunities for sustainable growth and decent job creation.