Juba, December 21, 2011
– IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, yesterday launched its training system, Business Edge™ management training program, in South Sudan. In partnership with local service providers, the program will provide much needed skills development to owners, managers and supervisory staff of small and medium enterprises who are facing a challenging environment with limited access to skills, markets and finance.
Following the independence of South Sudan in July this year, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan has embarked on an ambitious program to develop a viable private sector. Developing the SME sector is critical for the country, and IFC’s support is focusing on removing constraints to competitiveness, building capacity, and facilitating access to information, finance and markets.
Yesterday’s launch of Business Edge™ is one component of IFC’s SME Development Program for South Sudan, supported in partnership with the Government of South Sudan and the Netherlands. Fifteen trainers from four management consulting firms have so far been certified. These firms are South Sudan Allied Consultants, SMECOSS, Resource Solutions and Marketing, and Riverbend Consultants.
The four private firms will seek to provide management skills to at least 2,000 SMEs over the next three years, with a particular focus on SMEs in the supply chains of large companies in the telecommunications, financial services, and food and beverages industries.
Etienne Ndatimana, IFC Program Manager, said: “IFC’s SME Development Program activities will build on the achievements of the first phase of the Investment Climate Advisory Program of the World Bank Group which supported the establishment of the legal framework for investment in South Sudan. The program aims to increase the ability of SMEs to expand access to growth markets by strengthening their management capacity.”
The SME development program will also provide capacity building to the South Sudan Chamber of Commerce with the aim of strengthening its management and operational teams to better serve a growing membership across all ten states of South Sudan.
Simon Akuei Deng, the Secretary General of the Chamber, said: “We appreciate IFC’s work in developing our private sector and this training provides an important tool to help our members improve the way they manage their businesses in various sectors and across the country.”
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, providing advisory services to businesses and governments, and mobilizing capital in the international financial markets. In fiscal 2011, amid economic uncertainty across the globe, we helped our clients create jobs, strengthen environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities—all while driving our investments to an all-time high of nearly $19 billion. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
About Business Edge
TM
IFC Sustainable Business Advisory Services is supporting the growth of small and medium enterprises. Working with partners in Africa, IFC has helped thousands of entrepreneurs access the finance and skills they need to realize their potential. Business Edge™ is a face-to-face IFC training system that helps SMEs more easily access markets by strengthening their management capacity. The training can be customized for specific countries and regions in Africa. For more information, including a full list of our corporate partners and accredited training firms, visit
www.businessedge-africa.com
.
Stay Connected