ECIAfrica

Technical Areas

Strengthening micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, linking them to viable markets, and integrating them to the formal economy

Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises are key contributors to employment and growth, and integrating emerging business into the formal economy is vital for economic transformation. ECIAfrica is a leader in business linkages and market development. Designing a regulatory and policy environment that is conducive to small business is a critical component of this work. Through our long-term projects, we have become entrenched in enterprise development in the tourism and trade sectors.

We focus not only on the start-up and management of small businesses, but also on marketing, finance, business linkages, and procurement. We link small firms to promising commercial opportunities, assisting them with information skills and finance. Our success is grounded in an understanding of the political, social and economic context of the countries in which we work. ECIAfrica's flagship enterprise development programmes have helped small, previously disadvantaged businesses to add US$1 billion in sales to their businesses, and have led to the creation of more than 30,000 jobs.

Our services in this area include:

Sub-sector/value chain/competitiveness analysis and training. Rigorous economic, market, and business analysis of the firms in a subsector or a value chain.
Feasibility Studies. Analysis of markets and developing business plans for pursuing a business opportunity.
Enterprise policy analysis and design. Analysis requiring extensive knowledge of government systems and policies that they are seeking to address.
Surveys.
Business linkages. The practical act of linking two businesses and helping them to achieve a transaction.

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