Your Gateway to Information on Financial Resources for Inclusive Businesses
Intermediary database
This database lists information about organizations that offer financial and/or technical support for inclusive business and social enterprises in developing and emerging countries. It aims to help companies and entrepreneurs in inclusive business find initiatives that could provide the support they need.
Inclusive Business in Development Cooperation of EU Member States
Background
The mapping of inclusive business (IB) programmes in development cooperation of EU member states serves as a basis for discussion on the advancement of IB in the international development agenda, and for the coordination and exploration of synergies between initiatives. The mapping also seeks to increase the transparency of the offerings for companies with inclusive business models.
Donors and other stakeholders in IB can benefit from increased coordination of European IB programmes and initiatives, as well as from the realisation of synergies. The donor mapping shows where programmes may overlap or complement each other, creating opportunities for cooperation. It also fosters an exchange of information and experience between donors, in terms of best practices and lessons learnt.
As of October 2018, the following nine EU member states and the European Union participated in the 2017 mapping [*1]:
[*1] Member states may contribute updates on their IB programs throughout 2018, once private sector engagement strategies are reformulated
- European Union
- Finland
- Germany
- Italy
- The Netherlands
- Spain
- Sweden
- The United Kingdom
- France
IB programmes in numbers
76 programmes with IB relevance are listed in the mapping. The member states determined the IB relevance of their programmes and did not follow a uniform criteria catalogue. The mapping differentiates between IB programmes and initiatives active in technical cooperation, financial cooperation, platforms and networks, research and information, and grant programmes. It also evaluates programmes’ target groups, differentiating between private sector engagement and ecosystem engagement. Keeping in mind that projects may have multiple offerings, the analysis of programme characteristics revealed that technical assistance is the most common type of programme (51), followed by financial assistance (39), platforms and networks (18), grant programmes (9), and research and information (9).
Projects aimed at improving their target region’s business environments (creating financing possibilities, legal frameworks, etc.) are categorised as ecosystem engagement. Projects engaging directly with companies (capacity development, financing micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) directly, etc.) are categorised as private sector engagement.
The largest portion of programmes in the mapping work across sectors, while the greatest sectoral focus is on agriculture (agri-businesses, smallholder organisations, etc.). Interestingly, 82 percent of agriculture programmes are implemented in Africa (the rest are global). The second largest focus lies in the financial sector (projects that assist credit institutions in developing financing options, funds that refinance micro-credit institutions, etc.), followed by information and communications technology (ICT), and oil, gas, and minerals.
The regional analysis shows that the majority of the programmes geographically focus on Africa, followed by global programmes, programmes in Asia, Latin America, and finally, programmes in Eastern/South-Eastern Europe.