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4
Background
There are many organisations that can be described as a
Business Support Organisation (BSO). In fact, any organisation
that provides input with the aim to enhance the sustained
financial viability of a business can be classified as such. BSOs
provide a wide range of services to clients spanning from
advisory and consulting, to training and technical assistance.
The most common types of BSOs within the Caribbean region
include Chambers of Commerce, Coalition of Service Industries,
Copyright Associations, Export PromotionAgencies, Investment
Promotion Agencies (IPAs), Manufacturers’ Associations and
Small Business Associations.
However, there are two main classifications of BSOs: private
sector and public sector. In the public sector, the government
is primarily responsible for the overall function of the support
organisations. These include trade promotion organisations
(TPOs), which provide export development and promotion
function, and investment attraction, as well as establishing
favourable policy frameworks, and providing an enabling
environment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to
flourish. In contrast, the business support services delivered to
the private sector are centred on advocacy and private sector
development, among others.
The Caribbean Export Development Agency’s (Caribbean Export)
work in regional private sector development takes place via two
pathways: directly to SMEs, and through BSOs. From its inception,
the Agency has had a rich history of supporting, collaborating
with, and building the capacity of BSOs in a range of areas from
investment promotion to export development. The Agency has
a mandate under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF)
Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) to
strengthen the capacity of BSOs to provide a wider range and
quality of services. Under this programme, Caribbean Export has
served 158 regional BSOs through initiatives at an estimated
value of US$1.2 million; this is a 25% increase in funding when
compared to the support received under the 9th EDF, which was
US$960,000.