Publications

Women make up almost half of Kenya’s labour force, yet they remain on the margins of business ownership – only 9% of Kenya’s firms are majority women-owned.

Being a women-owned company negatively affects the credibility of their business, say Indonesian women entrepreneurs in the services sector.

This first ITC e-commerce survey provides valuable insights that will allow countries to shape policies and practices that address the real business needs on the ground. To ensure that micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) can benefit from e-commerce, they need better access to...

What keeps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana from being competitive in international markets is often not of their own making, such as unreliable electricity and high interest rates.

This joint ITC-Alibaba publication reviews the context of e-commerce development in China and identifies what is needed for foreign firms to enter the market. China's cross-border e-commerce has been growing rapidly in recent years. This development has brought new and innovative ways to access...

Countries have room for export growth in non-traditional markets, according to an ITC assessment of 64 developing countries’ export opportunities in European, South-South and regional markets. African and Latin American countries find potential to export ‘traditional’ products (like fruits,...

Businesses can extend their reach in regional and global markets by understanding how to make the most of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.

To be part of value chains dominated by large global players, small and medium-sized enterprises need a sound business environment, ready access to finance, and institutional support to reach new markets and to defend their interests.

Global value chains in services can boost economies of small developing countries. The case of Costa Rica illustrates how global value chains in services can enable small developing countries to be significant actors in twenty-first century trade and investment patterns, as well as the challenges to...

This ITC 50th anniversary publication explores new opportunities to connect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries to global markets, provides recommendations for trade assistance and presents a road map for ITC’s future work.

Small firms in developing countries are using social media to find new clients and generate trade. This guide advises on how to develop a successful social media strategy with a tight budget. Using real business cases and the latest ways to measure the real-time impact of social media campaigns,...

Mauritian exporters claim to be less affected by trade barriers than many other countries that have participated in the ITC business surveys on non-tariff measures. Among the 400 Mauritian firms surveyed, 27% of exporters were adversely affected by non-tariff measures; 36% of importing firms...