Projects > Brief descriptions > Thai-German Programme for Enterprise Competitiveness: Business and Financial Services Component

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For further information please contact:
Dr James Tomecko
Email: james.tomecko@giz.de

Thai-German Programme for Enterprise Competitiveness: Business and Financial Services Component

Programme description

Title: Thai-German Programme for Enterprise Competitiveness: Business and Financial Services Component
Commissioned by: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Country: Thailand
Lead executing agency: Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Overall term: May 2004 – December 201

Context

The race to compete in world markets has begun. No country is immune to the pressures of trying to create industries that have a competitive advantage in marketing their products worldwide. This is critical to achieve economic growth and provide people with jobs that are sustainable. To be able to do this successfully, businesses of all sizes will have to acquire strategic skills to enable them to compete in world markets.

In Thailand great importance is attached to competitiveness both in the private and public sector. Even though great strides have been made in the manufacturing sector, the income of 60 % of the population depends on the productivity and competitiveness of the agro-industry sector. Thus, much of the country’s future growth depends on how much advantage it can take this sector and what it needs to do to promote its enormous potential.

Objective

GTZ in partnership with the Thailand Institute of Scientific Technological Research aims to enhance the competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in selected fruit and vegetable sub-sectors through improving the markets for technological advisory services. These services include knowledge, information and advice.

Approach

In response to Thailand’s economic progress, GTZ together with the Royal Thai Government is now focusing on strengthening the competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises particularly in the agro-industry sector. This will be achieved by bringing the expertise of GTZ’s Business and Financial Services, which include policy development, international business strategies, certification and testing and value chain management, to businesses. The priority will be to make Small and Medium-sized Enterprises globally competitive by focusing on the following:

Upgrading existing technologies
Improving access to finance for small agro-businesses
Providing cutting edge information and advisory services to keep businesses ahead of the curve
Stimulating sustainable solutions for small enterprises to get the essential know how to make them more competitive
Studying trends in similar sectors in other countries and seeing how local businesses can get a competitive edge in world markets
Improving the eco-efficiency by using eco-audits, saving energy consumption, reducing environmental pollution, etc.

During the first phase, the GTZ portfolio focuses on SMEs in the agro-industry sector. Initially the Thai partners, assisted by GTZ, will concentrate on palm oil, tapioca, longan, shrimps, tangerine, handmade paper and other sectors in agro-industry will follow. Together with the Thai Government, GTZ works as a facilitator to service providers enabling them to offer critical advice and services to the private sector.