Business & Private Sector

Consulting in the EU Global Gateway Framework: Opportunities for Independent Experts

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EU Global Gateway

What Is the Global Gateway? The EU Global Gateway is Europe’s flagship external investment strategy, aiming to build smart, clean, and secure connections in digital, energy, and transport sectors while strengthening health, education, and research systems worldwide. Originally targeting EUR 300 billion in mobilised investment by 2027, the strategy has already surpassed that goal, reaching … Read more

Reimagining the Future of Entrepreneurship Support in East Africa: 25 Solutions that Could Change the Game

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(tl;dr) East Africa’s startup scene is booming – but many incubators and accelerators are stuck in a cycle of donor dependence, generic programmes and weak investor trust. A new William Davidson Institute study maps these system failures and, more importantly, presents 25 concrete solutions: from revenue-generating “acceleration as a service” and sector‑specific support, to venture … Read more

Designing for Empowerment: How Participatory Design Thinking Can Transform Economic Inclusion Programs for Women

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Economic inclusion programs are already reaching tens of millions of women, yet too many of these initiatives treat women as beneficiaries rather than co‑designers of change. The Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) has mapped over 400 economic inclusion programs in 88 countries, benefiting more than 70 million people; 90 percent target women, but only about … Read more

Empowering Resilience: Female Entrepreneurship in Ukraine Amidst Conflict

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Graphic Recording of the Event

In the midst of war, Ukrainian women are not only holding the fabric of society together – they are building the future of its economy. The webinar “Female Entrepreneurship in Times of War,” hosted on December 3, 2025, by the Secretariat of the Platform for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and Germany Trade and Invest GmbH, … Read more

Germany’s BMZ Launches Ambitious Action Plan for Stronger Economic Partnerships

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Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has unveiled a new action plan, “Strong Partnerships for a Successful Economy Worldwide”, marking a major shift in the country’s development cooperation strategy. This plan, introduced by Federal Minister Alabali Radovan, aims to forge deeper ties between German businesses and development policy, blending commercial opportunities with … Read more

Evaluation Insights: Private Sector Development in North Macedonia

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Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming Evaluation Report: IPA II 2017 and IPA II 2019 Annual Action Programmes Policy-Oriented Synthesis for Decision-Makers, Practitioners, and Stakeholders Context The Republic of North Macedonia is a candidate country for European Union membership, and private sector competitiveness is a cornerstone of its accession agenda. The country’s economy is … Read more

Unlocking Investment through the WTO’s Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement

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The recent “Time for Take-Off: The WTO and the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement” interactive workshop, held at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference on June 2, 2025, convened decision-makers and thought leaders to explore how the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) can significantly benefit developing countries. Moderated by Axel Berger, Deputy Director of the German … Read more

Catalyzing Capital: Empowering Africa’s Entrepreneurs for a Resilient Future

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A recent discussion, “Empowering Africa’s Entrepreneurs: Catalyzing Private Investment for Growth,” convened at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, tackled the critical challenge of unlocking private capital for Africa’s burgeoning startup ecosystem. Moderated by Mr. Lucy Dempy, the session brought together key stakeholders, including Anna Sophie Herken (Managing Director, GIZ), Obiageli Ezekwesili (Founder and President, Human Capital … Read more

Evaluation Insights: West African Competitiveness Programme in Sierra Leone

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Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming Increasing Sierra Leone’s Competitiveness through Enhanced Productivity and Trade Compliance in Selected Value Chains Context Sierra Leone’s economy is heavily dependent on mining, making it structurally vulnerable to external shocks. Agriculture accounts for nearly half of GDP and employs more than three-quarters of the population, yet micro, small, … Read more

Evaluation Insights: Green Markets and Sustainable Consumption in Brazil

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Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming Context The Amazon rainforest faces accelerating deforestation driven by conventional agriculture, illegal land use change, and the absence of economically viable alternatives for local communities. As Brazil committed under the Paris Agreement to halt illegal deforestation by 2030, promoting sustainable production systems in Amazonia became both a national … Read more

Unlocking entrepreneurship opportunities for youth could lower unemployment and bring social benefits

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UN report finds youth social entrepreneurship can create jobs and help the most underserved communities The World Youth Report: Youth Social Entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda seeks to contribute to the understanding of how youth social entrepreneurship can both support youth development and help accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. To do so, the Report first synthesizes … Read more

Evaluation Insights: ISO Capacity-Building Activities

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Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming Context The report “External Evaluation of Sida‑Funded ISO Capacity‑Building Activities” reviews two closely linked interventions implemented by the International Organization for Standardization’s Capacity Building Unit and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. The first is the ISO Action Plan for Developing Countries 2016–2020, which provides … Read more