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Background – Bangladesh is a very poor county of 140 Mio. inhabitants. To reduce poverty in a country of this size, the poor population must be integrated into the development process. Around 6 mio. SMEs form a cornerstone of the economy, contributing one quarter of the national income. Strengthening the SMEs can not only create jobs, particularly for the poor, but also give the people better prospects, increase income, stabilize development and fight the poverty sustainable.

The project – Since 2002 we have been implementing the SME advancement project with the support of the German agency for development (GTZ). It is comprised of more than 25 focus areas, from marketing management to accounting for industrial, health care and agricultural companies. We cooperate closely with vocational associations to improve labour standards(??). The project operates nationwide, but centres on the regions of Dhaka, Faridpur, Rajshani, Rangpur, Bogra and Jessore.

An example – With the support of an international company, Swisscontact developed and implemented a concept to increase the production of vegetable farmers. In only two years 480 merchants were educated to deal fairly with seeds, plants and fertilizers. Those merchants in turn advice, coach and teach 350.000 vegetable farmers. The farmers were able to significantly improve their productivity and income. The merchants improved their trade with advanced services. And the company itself saw a four-fold disposal increase compared with other regions.