13 September 16

22 August 2016 

The Latest at NI Chamber at www.nichamber.com

Mon 4th Jul 2016

IntertradeIreland have announced this workshop which is sure to be of interest to local small businesses. Further details are available on the IntertradeIreland website. http://www.intertradeireland.com/

This Introduction to Tendering practical half day workshop is being run in conjunction with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and is aimed specifically at small business owners/sole traders that have never completed a tender before or want to improve their basic tendering skills.

It aims to demystify the procedures around pitching for, and ultimately winning some of the ‘below threshold’ (ie. below £30K or €25k) work that Local Authorities and other Government Bodies/Agencies contract out.  The workshop is also suitable for new start-ups that are looking into public procurement as a possible future option, and for those looking to pick up some of the very small contracts.

There are only limited places available so early booking is advised!

Fermanagh Enterprise Centre, Enniskillen

9.15am – 12pm

Contact Linda Caldwell by emailing linda.caldwell@fermanaghomagh.com

£/€ Cost Free of charge (includes a tea/coffee break)

http://www.intertradeireland.com/go-2-tender/

SIMON CUNNINGHAM

22 February, 2016 01:00

By Axel  Reiserer

Companies are at the forefront of job and wealth creation

Support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is at the core of the EBRD’s mandate. These private companies are at the forefront of job and wealth creation and represent the foundation of a prosperous society. In many successful advanced economies the small business sector is the backbone of the economy.

EBRD at 25

We celebrate 25 years of investing for change

SMEs stand at the cradle of the development of sound market economies. New firms usually start small. Some of them grow into global enterprises. But the vast majority remain close to the markets they were initially established to serve. This means that they are often more efficient, flexible and responsive to market developments.

For an economy to succeed it needs a fine balance between a few global champions and the big mass of smaller companies. Huge modern car manufacturers need a wide web of small supportive suppliers, often spanning many countries and even continents. It is the interaction between the various actors which makes an economy successful.

The small business sector is particularly important because it represents the advantages of a market economy in a nutshell. It stands for ownership, personal engagement and responsible risk taking. A vibrant private sector thrives on competition and inspires participants to keep improving their performances, innovation and creative solutions.

While state-owned enterprises under communism floundered under the absurdities of central planning and the lack of ownership, private companies are at the foundation of a society formed by stakeholders. It is no coincidence that communism all but destroyed the private sector.

One of the major tasks for the EBRD in its first 25 years of supporting its countries of operations was to re-build the small business sector. As Lech Wałęsa, the former leader of “Solidarność” and President of Poland, put it in a speech in 1996: “It is easy to make fish soup from the aquarium with living goldfish, but just imagine what challenge it is to try to make the aquarium with living goldfish out of the fish soup.”

No matter how difficult it sounded at the time, there has been huge progress. Today, the SME sector in central and south-eastern Europe is on a scale with the advance economies of western Europe. In countries at an earlier stage of development, micro enterprises (with up to 10 employees) dominate. Where the medium-sized sector remains underdeveloped, economists have demonstrated the negative impact of this “missing middle” on the wider economy as is, for instance, the case in Russia or Kazakhstan.

The EBRD has played a major role in supporting the development of a viable and sound small business sector. About a third of the Bank’s investment of more than €107 billion since 1991 has been directed towards micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Over the years the Bank has developed many initiatives and products to support this sector, ranging from direct credit lines under facilities to dedicated credit lines to financial institutions for on-lending, trade finance facilities and risk-sharing support.

With the global economy stuck in sluggish growth, the SME sector faces challenges that stand in the way of its development. Last year, the Turkish G20 presidency identified three critical “I”s: investment, inclusion and implementation.

Investment is about money, but is also about advisory services and helping entrepreneurs to translate a genius idea into a sound business.

Inclusion stands for the effort to widen economic participation. The EBRD, together with partners, has developed highly successful Women in Business programmes. The impact of such initiatives goes beyond the economy. Similarly, the Bank is engaged in efforts to fight youth unemployment and support the economic integration of disadvantaged groups.

Implementation, finally, is key. Here the EBRD not only has the benefit of long-standing experience and close cooperation. Recognising the importance of the sector, the EBRD launched its Small Business Initiative in 2013 which combines and simplifies the EBRD approach to make it even more far-reaching and effective.

Donor support has been vital for the success of this programme. It remains all the more important as analysis shows that small business and private sector support is particularly important for “new” EBRD countries like Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.

By Nibal Zgheib

The EBRD at 25: how linking a long tradition with today’s

challenges provides for a successful future

Agriculture suffered badly under Soviet rule – as much for economic as for ideological reasons. Collectivisation destroyed the livelihood of millions and left deep scars on vulnerable economies and societies.

The EBRD at 25: how linking a long tradition with today’s

challenges provides for a successful future

Agriculture suffered badly under Soviet rule – as much for economic as for ideological reasons. Collectivisation destroyed the livelihood of millions and left deep scars on vulnerable economies and societies.

EBRD at 25

We celebrate 25 years of investing for change

The end of communism brought an end to this doctrine and private agriculture was again permitted. Yet the problems were not over. Decades of neglect and under-investment had left a trail of economic decay. With the shift to market economies, other sectors such as industry received more attention than agriculture.

However, the region has a long tradition of successful agricultural production and some of the most fertile soil in the world. Ukraine used to be called the “bread basket of Europe”. The country is only now starting to regain that title – a step that is vital for its economic future.

The EBRD has been at the forefront of reawakening the agricultural sector. The challenges were manifold: the return of communal land into private hands, the introduction of modern mortgage laws, attracting investment and regaining competitiveness. As a return to the pre-communist structure was neither desirable nor feasible, a system had to be developed that would allow agribusiness in the EBRD region to draw on its strengths and once again flourish.

From supporting the expansion of the wholesale food market in Budapest in 1994 to promoting sustainable dairy farming in Egypt in 2015, the EBRD has long worked with private companies to revive the fortunes of the agricultural sector. With the aim of boosting productivity and creating the conditions that will bring investment back into the farming and food industries, the EBRD strives to help the private sector to produce better quality food more efficiently, while at the same time respecting the environment.

One priority for the Bank has been to ensure that its activities span the whole agribusiness value chain – creating a continuous link from primary farming and food processing to distribution, packaging and retail. The Bank continues to foster entrepreneurial initiative and to help suppliers and food producers and processors connect with large food chains. In recent years, this support has expanded to include advice for as well as the transfer of skills to – small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the promotion of innovation and advanced technology and research.

After a major international food crisis in 2007 and 2008, the EBRD responded with an increased focus on investment in the sector. In 2011, it launched its Private Sector for Food Security Initiative to scale up investments and strengthen partnerships with governments and other IFIs and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to facilitate the private sector’s contribution to global food security. Enhancing food security is one of the Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted by world leaders in 2015, and also one of the main global and regional challenges the EBRD is addressing with its current strategic priorities.

To date, the Bank has invested €10 billion in agribusiness. By addressing the specific needs of companies with tailored financing, the EBRD aims to maximise the region’s agricultural potential. Boosting competitiveness can help agribusiness companies succeed beyond their home markets and tap into high-end export markets such as the European Union.

Proactive engagement with the local authorities in policy dialogue is an important contribution to the reform process in the light of ever-increasing competition. To attract domestic and foreign investment a stable and predictable policy framework is indispensable.

The EBRD will maintain its support for effective public-private policy dialogue and work together with partners to promote investments in agribusiness that deliver economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.