NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

A four-year program, run by the Mexican BCSD, will improve market opportunities for local entrepreneurs, creating new business networks involving MSMEs and lifting people out of the informal economy. Funding for the project comes from the Inter-American Development Bank through their “Building Opportunity for the Majority” initiative.

By leveraging the advantages of smaller firms ? their proximity to clients, their outreach and knowledge of local needs and culture ? the project will bring MSMEs into business ventures with larger companies to supply these low-income communities with improved products and services.
Raising awareness about unmet needs among low-income communities, while building the capacities of local micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to address them, is the focus of an innovative project launched by the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) Mexico/CESPEDES in partnership with the Mexican Ministry for Economy and with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

This four-year program will improve market opportunities for local entrepreneurs, creating new business networks involving MSMEs, and lifting people out of the informal economy.

Fifty-five million people live on less than three dollars a day in Mexico. Housing and construction, food processing and distribution, energy, water, recycling and waste disposal are some of the sectors where innovative, lower cost and better quality goods and services are needed.

By leveraging the advantages of smaller firms ? their proximity to clients, their outreach and knowledge of local needs and culture ? the project will bring MSMEs into business ventures with larger companies to supply these low-income communities with improved products and services.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has been invited to be part of the Advisory Council of the project and will be represented by Marcel Engel, Director of the Regional Network.

Six pilot projects have already been identified, representing an investment of about US$ 1.2 million by leading Mexican companies (members of the Mexican BCSD). The project portfolio is to be expanded during implementation.

Continue reading “WBCSD Invests $1.2 Million in Mexican BOP“