Business in Development Hubs: Zambia and Colombia

Often times, as I’m browsing the Practitioner Hub or one of its website contemporaries, I pause in contemplation of the shear amount of individuals, organisations, businesses, governments and international agencies engaged in a common pursuit: a more sustainable world. Now, the definition of sustainable will likely differ for many of these actors, with some focusing more on the financial sustainability of their business and others looking more closely at society or government. Despite these difference, there is an ever-growing understanding of the convergence between the intrinsic interests of business, government and civil society in ensuring a stable and prosperous society, a healthy environment, freedom from corruption, a strong economy, supportive infrastructure, and a healthy educated population.

Nothing epitomises the recognition of this convergence better than the increasing popularity of inclusive business, and the Business Innovation Facility initiative has played a critical and pioneering role in stimulating this growth. As the first phase of BIF comes to a close, we must begin to consider ‘what next?’ How can we leverage the progress BIF has made to more systematically drive the broader engagement of business in development? How can we strategically connect the network of innovators, practitioners, and experts that BIF has built with the actors driving related initiatives to scale up efforts and avoid wasteful duplication? How can we ensure none of the ideas, energies, resources, and connections made through BIF are left untapped?

And herein lies the rationale for Business in Development Hubs, locally-owned platforms to engage business and to systematically promote, support and build capacity to help drive more widespread, effective ‘win-win’ partnership action. Supporting the development of these Hubs, the Business in Development Facility (BIDF) aims to help countries establish Hubs and coordinate activity and connections between Hubs. In this way, the BIDF forms part of the implementation of key policy commitments on aid and development effectiveness made at the Busan Forum in 2011, where governments and business signed up to a ‘Joint Statement’ to expand and enhance public private cooperation for broad-based, inclusive and sustainable growth.

How will these hubs work and what makes them different from the plethora of other sustainability and development initiatives out there? Rather than supersede or rival existing initiatives, these Hubs are designed to engage, support, and connect in with existing programmes and networks. Activity will centre on making partnerships a viable, strategic, and manageable option for all sectors.

As some of the experiences of BIF Hub members have shown, partnering isn’t always as simple in practice as it is in theory. The unexpected transaction costs of a partnership often grow the less prepared the participants. Business in Development Hubs will address the different needs of each sector to ensure partnering works in practice when it makes sense in theory.

Supported by the Swedish International Development Agency and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, scoping exercises are currently underway in Zambia and Colombia. Watch this space for updates on this initiative in the near future.