DUSHANBE, October 29, 2013, Asia-Plus – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and US program promote exports among SMEs in Central Asia.
On October 28, the EBRD held the first export promotion training course under its regional program for local consultants in Tajikistan, press release issued by the EBRD Tajik office said.
The training, “Tools and Methods for Provision of Consulting Services in the Export Promotion Sphere,” reportedly helped equip 15 consultants based in Tajikistan with the knowledge and skills necessary to support SMEs as they develop an export strategy. It covered both how to adapt the consulting methodology to export promotion and the practicalities of export, from identifying markets to logistics, legislation and trade finance.
The training was implemented by the EBRD’s Small Business Support team, as part of a regional program funded by the United States SME Special Fund. When the program began in 2012, it was clear that there were few consultants in the region who had the expertise needed to carry out export promotion projects. Now, two rounds of training have been held in Kazakhstan and the first in Kyrgyzstan, strengthening the skills of more than 60 consultants. This training in Dushanbe is the first to take place in Tajikistan.
The EBRD has invited consultants providing consulting services in market analysis, strategy, marketing, and quality management to participate in the Export Promotion training. The training includes sessions on observing of business readiness for export, choosing markets, conducting market research, trade finance, marketing tools, design, developing and implementation of export strategy, etc.
Tajikistan’s economic strengths are still developing. An exporter of hydro power, cotton, vegetables, fruit and dried fruit, Tajikistan’s imports overwhelms its exports. Importing chiefly from surrounding countries in the region, Russia and Ukraine, Tajikistan is among prominent importers of flour, oil, flue, light industry goods. However, questions of quality and logistics have held back the Tajik export sector.
Tajik enterprises have the potential to export their goods to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and other neighboring countries. But they often don’t have relevant experience and work following their own intuition. Businesses often don’t research potential export markets, don’t use marketing tools and as a result, their initiative is often unrewarded. Compounding this problem is the face that there are few consultants in the country who have the skills to develop an export strategy and assist in its implementation. This training course for local consultants will teach them how to write an export strategy and help local enterprises that have the potential for export find their markets and deliver local goods to external markets.
The final part of the training included a roundtable discussion on export promotion in the Tajikistan. Representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, National Association of Small and Medium Business, international organizations and NGOs working on export promotion came together to discuss the challenges in this area.
Small Business Support (SBS) connects local enterprises with the expertise that can transform their businesses. Working with local consultants and international experts, Small Business Support gives businesses the tools, skills and know-how to innovate, attract finance and future expertise and become the next generation of business leaders. With expertise in management, marketing, quality standards, engineering and beyond, SBS projects help businesses become fitter, healthier, more prosperous and more resilient.
Small Business Support has been working in Tajikistan since 1999 with funding from the Early Transition Countries Fund (ETCF), EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (ESSF), the USA, Japan, and Luxembourg.
