The Joint ACP-EU Private Sector Development Platform presents…

With a view to promoting sustainable development in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), together with the European Union adopted in 2014 a Joint Private Sector Development Strategy which seeks to encourage the development of a more competitive and responsible business sector and articulated around the following themes: 

  • Improving business environment
  • Increase access to finance for MSMEs
  • Supporting knowledge dissemination
  • Supporting agricultural value chains
  • Digital financial inclusion
  • Informal economy
  • Supporting women/youth economic empowerment
  • Mineral clusters 

Fit For Market

Export capacities of smallholders, farmers’ organisations and horticultural MSMEs are strengthened by complying with SPS measures and other market requirements (including environmental, social and ethical standards).

  • Horticultural MSMEs, smallholders and farmers’ organisations have the business skills and tools to be efficient, profitable and inclusive.
  • Linkages between smallholders, farmers’ organisations and horticultural MSMEs are reinforced.
  • Conditions for market access and competitiveness in ACP horticultural chains are monitored with a value chain approach and ACP interests are represented.
  • Public sector authorities have an enhanced capacity to support the horticultural sector, ensuring management and enforcement of SPS standards.
  • Technical innovation and research brokerage generate the knowledge and technologies needed to supply safe and quality horticultural produce in line with regulations and standards (FFM SPS specific)

Discover more information about Fit For Market here.


ACP Business Friendly

The overall objective is to promote business-friendly and inclusive national and regional policies, and strengthening productive capabilities and value chains.

The specific outcomes are:

  1. Adopt and implement business-friendly, inclusive and responsible national policies and legal frameworks.
  2. Strengthen productive, processing, and commercial alliances and capabilities of agriculture value chains and MSMEs.

Discover more information about ACP Business Friendly here.


FARMERS’ ORGANIZATIONS FOR AFRICA, THE CARIBBEAN and THE PACIFIC

The overall objective is to increase income and to improve livelihood, food and nutrition security, and safety of the ACP family farming in the target areas of the project through support to farmers’ organizations (FOs).


The programme’s specific objectives (SO) are:

  • FOs and farmer-led enterprises improve technical and economic services along the value chains.
  • FOs influence policies and business environments for the transformation of family farming and the development of sustainable, adaptive economic initiatives and farmer-led enterprises.
  • FOs are accountable organisations able to effectively perform their institutional functions.

Discover more information about the Farmers’ organizations for African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries here.


OACPS-EU DEVELOPMENT MINERALS

  • Increased employment and income for artisanal and small-scale mining enterprises (ASMEs), and in particular increased economic opportunities for women participating in ASMEs throughout the Development Minerals value chain
  • Institutions in ACP countries have improved business enabling environment for gender inclusive operationalisation and formalization of ASMEs along the Development Minerals value chain
  • ASMEs have enhanced entrepreneurial skills and access to finance, technology, markets and market information
  • Public institutions, communities, women’s organizations and civil society organizations (CSOs) have strengthened capacity to put in place social and environmental safeguards in mining and quarrying of Development Minerals
  • Women-owned ASMEs provide increased opportunities for women’s participation throughout the Development Minerals Value-Chain
  • Inter-ACP knowledge generation and dissemination are enhanced to inform policies, strategies and programmes for supporting ASMEs.

Discover more information about The Development Minerals Program here.



Investment Climate Reform Facility

The ICR Facility implements the third pillar of the European Union’s External Investment Plan (“Improving the Investment Climate”). The specific objective is to support the countries and regional institutions of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) in the effort to improve the investment climate and business environment by supporting, among other actions, the public-private dialogue process. It provides Technical Assistance in three action areas:

  • Request-based mechanism to support business environment and investment climate improvement initiative
  • Strengthening national and sub-regional development financial institutions
  • Compile and mainstream lessons learned and best practices

Discover more information about ICR Facility here.


Boost Africa

Boost Africa is a blended finance and multi-partner initiative focused on supporting entrepreneurially-driven early stage and start-up SMEs on the African continent.

EXPECTED DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES:
Tangible PSD and sustainable development outcomes & results:

  • Help create and grow 1500 innovative businesses
  • Business advisory services and transfer of skills for early stage youth entrepreneurs to help them grow
  • Create 25,000 direct jobs and 70,000 indirect jobs
  • Improve environmental, social and governance practices in African SMEs.

Financial institutions (FI) and PSD intermediary capacity development outcomes:

  • Innovative, additional and long term financial capacities in Africa
  • Strengthen local fund managers targeting early stage SMEs and young entrepreneurs in Africa, a market that is extremely underdeveloped on the continent.
  • Capacity of enterprise support organizations (such as incubators and accelerators)
  • Improvement of knowledge, information and networks regarding entrepreneurship and SME development in Africa.

Discover more information about Boost Africa here.


EURIZ guarantee

EURIZ is the guarantee facility created by AFD and SIDA with the EU which aims to target the financially underserved MSMEs in the ACP countries. EURIZ will encourage the financial institutions to improve access to credit for financially underserved MSMEs.

Main Objectives:

  • Improve access to financial services
  • Promote job creation and growth
  • Cross-sector objectives will be achieved by some specific operations: Health, Education, Green projects, Social business

Discover more information about EURIZ guarantee here.


ABC Fund

The ABC Fund, a blended capital impact investment vehicle, initiated by IFAD and anchored by the European Commission (EC) with the support of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific group (ACP), the Luxembourg government and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), aims at alleviating the funding gap faced by small-scale farmers, thereby contributing to inclusive economic and social development in targeted countries.

  • ABC Fund is an investment fund that targets smallholder farmers and aims to support projects that create viable employment opportunities for rural youth, and men and women led SMEs.
  • ABC Fund will start as an open-ended Fund management company.
  • ABC Fund’s first phase will have a lifespan of up to 5 years.
  • ABC Fund will then transition towards a blending facility by using the anchor funds and including commercial investors, expanding the scope and type of financial products.

Discover more information about ABC Fund here or via this YouTube video.


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