Business Information Services

 

Problems addressed

The rapid advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have far-reaching effects on both government and business operations. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) need to have access to adequate information to enhance productivity and facilitate market access. However, in most developing countries, the SME sector is suffering from inadequacies in the provision of business information, which is only available from stand-alone institutions, often slow and cumbersome to access, limited in scope and not provided in an integrated manner. Moreover, access to information is insufficient; SMEs need tailor-made information solutions, i.e. business information services that assess, verify and apply information to a specific business problem.

Services provided

In order to respond to the specific needs of SMES, the Business Information Services programme of UNIDO creates value added by bringing together information from different sources and transforming that information into solutions, including ICT and e-business support, in order to enable the integration of SMEs in national and global value chains, covering also e-security for SMEs. As called for in the UN Millennium Declaration, the programme involves the private sector in partnerships for development.

Based on its global contacts, UNIDO has developed a methodology for establishing an integrated business information solutions network as, for example, in Uganda and in Senegal that link all relevant national and international information sources into a “One-Stop-Shop” (OSS). The OSS operates on a demand-driven and commercial basis, ensuring SMEs’ trust and support through a strong local ownership of public and private sector business partners. Commercial operations also ensure sustainability of the operation of the OSS.
The process of establishing an OSS follows four sequential steps, which can be undertaken independently: (1) an SME needs assessment to ascertain the information and e-business gaps and requirements, (2) the development of a commercial business plan, (3) the establishment of a commercially operating OSS and (4) rural extensions of the OSS (business tele-centres) to enhance the national SME information support infrastructure.

Projects covering the above services are presently being implemented or planned in Algeria, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda.

Participation in the recent World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was important to raise awareness of UNIDO’s specialization in this field.

Documents:	Success stories:	Contact details:
Capacity-building for business information networking	Establishment of the Industrial Technology and Market Information Network in Sri Lanka (ITMIN)	Hans Pruim email: h.pruim@unido.org

  Back to Private Sector Development