Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Poverty Reduction in Africa

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Poverty Reduction in Africa PDF Author: Ameen Alharbi
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443879193
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Poverty Reduction in Africa addresses the vital question of why the millions of dollars of governments’ and international development interventions in the SMEs sector are yet to deliver significant and sustainable employment and poverty reduction in Africa. The book also addresses the question of how the SMEs sector can help in the eradication of poverty in Africa. The book also tackles the question of what policy makers, SMEs operators, would-be entrepreneurs and trainers can do to contribute to poverty reduction through the SMEs sector. To address these three key questions, the book has adopted innovative concepts and ideas that will appeal to the sensibilities of African policy makers, trainers, business operators and would-be entrepreneurs. For example, the existing literature on system thinking and spirituality in business is used to offer a novel approach and departure from the perennial focus on “technical training” and hardnosed pursuit of “individualised” business and personal goals as a means of developing entrepreneurs and crafting SMEs policy. The key features of the book are: • a focus on changing the mind-set of SMEs operators, policy makers, trainers and would-be entrepreneurs; • contextualising the role of SMEs in poverty reduction by emphasizing the relevance of the African worldview, belief systems and spirituality during policy making, policy implementation and training of SMEs operators and would-be entrepreneurs; • theoretical explanations to why good intentions in policy formulation and implementation do not deliver expected outcomes in terms of the SMEs sector’s contribution to poverty reduction; • practical guidelines on how SMEs can develop a poverty-related mission statement, business strategy and business plan within the context of poverty reduction; • personal development guidelines for SMEs operators and prospective entrepreneurs on how to develop poverty-related personal mission statements and strategies; • the introduction of spiritual poverty and system thinking as the foundation for policy formulation and poverty reduction interventions in Africa.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Poverty Reduction in Africa

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Poverty Reduction in Africa PDF Author: Ameen Alharbi
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443879193
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 185

Get Book Here

Book Description
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Poverty Reduction in Africa addresses the vital question of why the millions of dollars of governments’ and international development interventions in the SMEs sector are yet to deliver significant and sustainable employment and poverty reduction in Africa. The book also addresses the question of how the SMEs sector can help in the eradication of poverty in Africa. The book also tackles the question of what policy makers, SMEs operators, would-be entrepreneurs and trainers can do to contribute to poverty reduction through the SMEs sector. To address these three key questions, the book has adopted innovative concepts and ideas that will appeal to the sensibilities of African policy makers, trainers, business operators and would-be entrepreneurs. For example, the existing literature on system thinking and spirituality in business is used to offer a novel approach and departure from the perennial focus on “technical training” and hardnosed pursuit of “individualised” business and personal goals as a means of developing entrepreneurs and crafting SMEs policy. The key features of the book are: • a focus on changing the mind-set of SMEs operators, policy makers, trainers and would-be entrepreneurs; • contextualising the role of SMEs in poverty reduction by emphasizing the relevance of the African worldview, belief systems and spirituality during policy making, policy implementation and training of SMEs operators and would-be entrepreneurs; • theoretical explanations to why good intentions in policy formulation and implementation do not deliver expected outcomes in terms of the SMEs sector’s contribution to poverty reduction; • practical guidelines on how SMEs can develop a poverty-related mission statement, business strategy and business plan within the context of poverty reduction; • personal development guidelines for SMEs operators and prospective entrepreneurs on how to develop poverty-related personal mission statements and strategies; • the introduction of spiritual poverty and system thinking as the foundation for policy formulation and poverty reduction interventions in Africa.

Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa

Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa PDF Author: Kathleen Beegle
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464812330
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 481

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Book Description
Sub-Saharan Africa's turnaround over the past couple of decades has been dramatic. After many years in decline, the continent's economy picked up in the mid-1990s. Along with this macroeconomic growth, people became healthier, many more youngsters attended schools, and the rate of extreme poverty declined from 54 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2015. Political and social freedoms expanded, and gender equality advanced. Conflict in the region also subsided, although it still claims thousands of civilian lives in some countries and still drives pressing numbers of displaced persons.Despite Africa’s widespread economic and social welfare accomplishments, the region’s challenges remain daunting: Economic growth has slowed in recent years. Poverty rates in many countries are the highest in the world. And notably, the number of poor in Africa is rising because of population growth. From a global perspective, the biggest concentration of poverty has shifted from South Asia to Africa.Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa explores critical policy entry points to address the demographic, societal, and political drivers of poverty; improve income-earning opportunities both on and off the farm; and better mobilize resources for the poor. It looks beyond macroeconomic stability and growth—critical yet insufficient components of these objectives—to ask what more could be done and where policy makers should focus their attention to speed up poverty reduction. The pro-poor policy agenda advanced in this volume requires not only economic growth where the poor work and live, but also mitigation of the many risks to which African households are exposed. As such, this report takes a "jobs" lens to its task. It focuses squarely on the productivity and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable—that is, what it will take to increase their earnings. Finally, it presents a road map for financing the poverty and development agenda.

The Role of Trade in Ending Poverty

The Role of Trade in Ending Poverty PDF Author: World Bank Group
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
"Written jointly by the World Bank Group and the WTO, the publication examines trade and poverty across four dimensions: rural poverty; the informal economy; the impact of fragility and conflict; and gender. The publication looks at how trade could make a greater contribution to ending poverty by increasing efforts to lower trade costs, improve the enabling environment, implement trade policy in conjunction with other areas of policy, better manage risks faced by the poor, and improve data used for policy-making." --

Small and Medium Enterprises, Growth, and Poverty

Small and Medium Enterprises, Growth, and Poverty PDF Author: Thorsten Beck
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category : Economic development
Languages : en
Pages : 47

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Book Description
Beck, Demirgüç-Kunt, and Levine explore the relationship between the relative size of the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, economic growth, and poverty using a new database on the share of SME labor in the total manufacturing labor force. Using a sample of 76 countries, they find a strong association between the importance of SMEs and GDP per capita growth. This relationship, however, is not robust to controlling for simultaneity bias. So, while a large SME sector is characteristic of successful economies, the data fail to support the hypothesis that SMEs exert a causal impact on growth. Furthermore, the authors find no evidence that SMEs reduce poverty. Finally, they find qualified evidence that the overall business environment facing both large and small firms--as measured by the ease of firm entry and exit, sound property rights, and contract enforcement--influences economic growth. This paper--a product of Finance, Development Research Group--is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the role of SMEs.

Unleashing Entrepreneurship

Unleashing Entrepreneurship PDF Author:
Publisher: UN
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 70

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Book Description
This report offers recommendations on how major actors such as governments, public development institutions, the private sector and civil society organizations can modify their actions and approaches to enhance the ability of the private sector to advance the development process. It highlights the importance of developing businesses as a means to reducing global poverty.

The Nexus of Economic Growth, Employment and Poverty Reduction

The Nexus of Economic Growth, Employment and Poverty Reduction PDF Author: Rizwanul Islam
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Manpower policy
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description


Guide on Poverty Measurement

Guide on Poverty Measurement PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789211171372
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Vejledning om anvendelse af forskellige målemetoder, med det formål at forbedre den internationale sammenlignelighed af fattigdomsstatistikker.

FinTech in Sub-Saharan African Countries

FinTech in Sub-Saharan African Countries PDF Author: Mr.Amadou N Sy
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1484385667
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 61

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Book Description
FinTech is a major force shaping the structure of the financial industry in sub-Saharan Africa. New technologies are being developed and implemented in sub-Saharan Africa with the potential to change the competitive landscape in the financial industry. While it raises concerns on the emergence of vulnerabilities, FinTech challenges traditional structures and creates efficiency gains by opening up the financial services value chain. Today, FinTech is emerging as a technological enabler in the region, improving financial inclusion and serving as a catalyst for the emergence of innovations in other sectors, such as agriculture and infrastructure.

The Big Business of Small Enterprises

The Big Business of Small Enterprises PDF Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9781464803765
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The World Bank Group promotes small and medium enterprise (SME) growth through both systemic and targeted interventions. Targeting means focusing benefits on one size-class of firms to the exclusion of others. Targeted support for SMEs is a big business for the World Bank Group, averaging around $3 billion a year in commitments, expenditures, and gross exposure over the 2006-12 period. In the context of broader reforms, such targeted support can be a powerful tool. Targeting SMEs is not an end in itself, but a means to create economies that can employ more people and create more opportunity for citizens to achieve prosperity. A thriving and growing SME sector is associated with rapidly growing economies. A central challenge is to level the economic playing field by ensuring dynamic markets; strengthening market-support institutions; and removing constraints to participation. IEG found that financial sector development can have both a pro-growth and propoor impact by alleviating SMEs' financing constraints, enabling new entry of firms and entrepreneurs and better resource allocation. Layered on top of this are targeted forms of assistance; these interventions may build on a foundation of more systemic reforms, may come in tandem with them, or may in fact be a means to build systemic reforms from the bottom up. Any credible justification of targeted support to SMEs must be focused on establishing well-functioning markets and institutions, not simply providing a temporary supply of benefits to a small group of firms during a project's lifespan. Thus, targeted interventions need to leverage resources to produce broader benefits for institutions and markets. To make targeted support for SMEs more effective, the World Bank Group needs to do several things: - Clarify its approach to targeted support to SMEs. - Enhance the support's relevance and additionality. - Institute a tailored research agenda. - Strengthen guidance and quality control for such support. - Reform MIGA's Small Investment Program.

Djibouti

Djibouti PDF Author: International Monetary Fund
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1475504136
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Book Description
The modern economy of the Republic of Djibouti is based on rents directly or indirectly originating from the international port of Djibouti and from the country’s strategic position. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper discusses that the growth recorded over the last five years is essentially driven by the increase in foreign direct investment—but especially by the activities of the Port of Djibouti. The informal economy constitutes a major proportion of the economic activities of Djibouti and provides a livelihood for much of the Djibouti population.