Intercooperation's Contribution to Micro and Small Enterprise Development

This paper presents InterCooperation's (IC) approach and strategy to develop medium and small enterprises (MSEs). IC's objective is to contribute to MSE development through the facilitation of processes which target:

• Entrepreneurs' own abilities (internal);
• Market opportunities (external).

The paper also presents IC's core competencies which lie in the areas of:

• Entrepreneurship promotion;
• Management skills training;
• BDS market development;
• Gender-oriented entrepreneurship promotion;
• Cluster and local economic development approach;
• Value chain approach;
• Organizational development.

Finally, the paper presents IC's service offerings for the MSE sector:

• Study/assessment of value chains;
• Support to BDS market development;
• Promotion of entrepreneurship;
• Capacity building and institutional development for enterprises and second-tier organizations;
• Mobilizing of high level and adapted competences in agro-processing technologies;
• Fostering of local economic development through the support to MSEs.