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Enterprise Competitiveness In Small States

11 November 2004

development
The Commonwealth is helping small states develop their economies.
How can enterprise development and innovation make small states' economies more competitive? How can these economies match the productivity and production capacity of the more developed nations?

These are some of the questions to be addressed at a five-day training course on 'Enterprise Competitiveness in Small State Economies', from 16 to 20 November 2004 in Singapore. Organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat's Special Advisory Services Division (SASD) in collaboration with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Trade Institute of Singapore, the programme will enable participants to gather information on business strategies, best practices and market savvy. Some 30 delegates from 21 Commonwealth countries are expected to take part.

George Saibel, Director of SASD, said: "We hope that the programme, apart from showcasing the Singapore experience, will enable participants to develop appropriate small and medium enterprise strategies to compete in global markets."

Participants are of middle to senior management level and were nominated by their governments. Their backgrounds are in finance, planning, international trade and export promotion, and industrial and private sector development.

The training is designed to strengthen the skills of government officials in formulating successful policies for international competitiveness. It aims to benchmark national competitiveness performance in the economies of Commonwealth small states. Participants will analyse best practice policies and institutions, and identify ways of improving the implementation of national competitiveness strategies. 

Topics for discussion include enterprise restructuring; and the impact of foreign direct investment and multinational corporations on small state economies. Delegates will explore the development of appropriate business structures and best practice to promote the growth of enterprises. They will also examine financing, and institutional and human resource development for enterprises.

The course is funded by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation and is part of the Singapore-Commonwealth Third Country Training Programme. Under this initiative, the Secretariat and the Government of Singapore collaborate in training personnel from Commonwealth developing countries.

 

CNIS - the Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 209  10 November 2004

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