Some countries are also designing integrated programmes that couple access to finance with appropriate short-term, accessible, relevant training for the informal sector to foster innovation and improve performance, allowing the best performers to slowly migrate to the formal sector. Rwanda has made important efforts to facilitate value-addition, skills development, and technological learning for subsistence agriculture, in which the majority of Rwandans currently participate. The PEARL coffee project offers one example of subsistence coffee farmers effectively working together to create a registered co-operative and establish partnerships with research and training institutions.

The AfDB in a strategic partnership with ILO has developed a framework geared towards supporting successful women-owned enterprises. The framework as described in Box 28 has been developed and piloted in a number of countries. Its objective is to reinforce women entrepreneurs’ technical capabilities. It focuses on generic management skills as well as on the technical skills that support business growth and access to export markets. For each individual entrepreneur, training is based on the assessment of her specific needs. Depending on needs and demand, the training includes one or several of the following: business management and planning; financial management and relationships with banks; marketing and access to markets. In addition, other subjects, such as technology transfer, productivity improvement, product improvement and development, and networking opportunities, are also provided depending on the needs assessment of each project client.

Top