Our Impact

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Facilitating Smes Access To International Markets (Smes Go Global)

The globalisation process for SMEs can be realised through any of a range of cross border activities, including trade, international investment, and participation in strategic alliances, partnerships and networking arrangements affecting a variety of business functions ranging from research and product development to distribution.

The globalisation of business, including the recent wave of global industrial restructuring has increasingly drawn SMEs, especially those in sectors subject to strong globalisation forces, into global value chains through different types of cross-border activities. There is evidence that a group of SMEs with high-growth potential require early access to international markets to ensure their development and growth.

While generally SMEs report increased international business contacts in recent years, evidence suggests that relative to the contribution they make to local and national economies, SMEs, remain, overall, under represented in the international economy and change in this respect is slow to happen.

SME POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

Seek, through the WTO Round and other channels, to ease trade barriers. Progress in this regard will facilitate efforts by SMEs to access international markets. Promote the role that foreign direct investment can play as a vehicle for SMEs to access international markets. In particular, the inclusion of local SMEs in the supply chains of multinational enterprises, and their resultant (indirect) involvement in exporting activity can lead to significant diffusion of technology and more efficient business models, thereby raising the international competitiveness of SMEs. Encourage the smooth, cross-border growth of SMEs by reducing the need for internationally active SMEs to comply with multiple sets of rules or requirements. Important areas in this regard include standards, intellectual property rights, financial market regulations and other regulatory domains.

Facilitate access to the information SMEs need to operate internationally. Particularly important is information relating to tax, regulatory frameworks and requirements, advisory and support services for SMEs and dispute resolution procedures. Enhance incentives for new public-private partnership initiatives that would help SMEs reach global markets for innovative products and access foreign sources of advanced technologies and knowledge. This involves broadening the scope for foreign participation in national programmes and linking national networks of SMEs with similar needs and complementary capabilities.

STRENGTHENING REGIONAL TRADE INTEGRATION

The Pan African Chamber of Commerce supports strengthening regional integration and better leveraging the benefits of regional or continental trading arrangements.

ATC provides countries technical assistance to:

  • Analyse or review domestic frameworks in line with regional or continental commitments on trade-related issues from goods to e-commerce to investment and support implementation of policy reforms to address gaps;
  • Undertake country-level diagnostic assessments, develop roadmaps and monitoring frameworks for the implementation of policy reforms, and review or revise legislative and policy frameworks accordingly;
  • Capacitate policy officials and regulatory authorities to effectively implement regional commitments;
  • Engage in regional and continental trade negotiations on trade policy issues such as services, investment, e-commerce, intellectual property, competition, procurement, and develop negotiating positions and submissions;
  • Address barriers preventing businesses from effectively integrating into regional value chains;