The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives in cooperation with Agribusiness Market Ecosystem Alliance, Africa Management Institute, Private Sector Foundation, Enterprise Uganda and other partners with a stake in the business development service have launched standards and initiatives aimed at streamlining the landscape to easily access affordable and sustainable business development service by medium,small and micro enterprises.
The standards and practices that were launched and promoted by the stakeholders include adoption of standardization of the business development service approaches, certification of business development service providers, strengthening the business development service ecosystem through formation of a national association encompassing the different business development service networks and associations, tracking documentation and dissemination of working approaches in the business development service and use of the ecosystem to develop and update data and information on the business development service delivery.
Business Development service providers have established united business support proffessionals in Uganda with a mission to unite and proffessionalize business development service providers by strengthening capacity, promote collaboration while delivering self regulation, enforcing quality standards while delivering impactful support that drives sustainability, resilience and inclusive growth
The formation of the association is critical to the growth of Uganda micro, small and medium enterprises contribution to the tenfold growth strategy through quality support to business and the need to replicate and adopt success best practices from several intervations locally and abroad by organizing providers under one umbrella, strengthening their capacity amplifying their impact and engaging government and development partners in shaping vibrant, sustainable enterprise ecosystem.
The launch of business development service standards and association took place at imperial royale hotel in Kampala and brought together academia, training institutions, financial institutions, ministries, departments and agencies of government, enterprise support organizations and was officially launched by David Bahati the State Minister of Trade Industry and Cooperatives as the Chief guest.
The united business support proffessionals association recognizes the critical role business development service plays in driving economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction as highlighted in the Uganda National development plan 4 and the association has been formed to address challenges such as the inability to influence decision making and policy and the absence of a common platform for different actors to engage and support business development service at scale including systematic level change support.
” Business development services are not optional, they are essential and bridge the gap that connects enterprise potential to sustainable growth and competitiveness and I call upon development partners, local governments, faith based institutions and the private sector to allign and integrate business development service early in their programs, priotize business development service delivery, actively engage and invest in strengthening the ecosystem and the media should help us dessiminate information and raise awareness, said David Bahati the state Minister of Trade industry and cooperatives