HOW TO INSTALL EMPRETEC IN YOUR COUNTRY

The Empretec programme is installed following an official request from a member State. UNCTAD then approaches the donor community to raise the necessary funds for installation. Once the availability of funds has been identified, UNCTAD organizes a field mission to seek possible national partners specializing in entrepreneurship and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Interested national bodies present their proposals for hosting the Empretec programme, which UNCTAD evaluates before selecting the most suitable national partner(s) to become the Empretec centre. UNCTAD transfers the Empretec methodology to the selected partner(s), selects the host-country Empretec director/coordinator, uses experienced international master trainers to train local trainers, and advises on the programme’s sustainability and on networking. Local trainers assist the international master trainers in delivering a minimum of six entrepreneurs’ training workshops in order to be certified as national trainers.

An executive board drawn from the public and private sectors is established to provide strategic direction for the Empretec centre and to ensure coordination among stakeholders.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN PARTNER INSTITUTIONS

• Prestige (a good name, widely recognized by the local community)
• Long-standing experience and sustainability
• Capacity and availability to finance the centre (facilities, promotional activities, local trainers)
• Links with the business community, and possibly also with the financial sector
• Political neutrality
• Ability to connect the public and private sectors
• Experience with donor-funded activities
• The Capacity to interact with different stakeholders (SMEs, indigenous communities, business associations, local governments)