MSMEs, value chains and trade development in Southern Africa : case studies from selected countries

Abstract

The present study involved country visits to Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia, conducted for the purpose of Understanding the challenges and opportunities that MSMEs face in growing their participation in national, subregional and global value chains and in exporting; Prioritizing cases in which innovation has facilitated and increased this participation and the utilization of preferential and global trade agreements by MSMEs and Identifying which subregional and global value chains have high and growing levels of participation by MSMEs. The present report contains a comprehensive review of the MSME landscape in Southern Africa and numerous examples of MSMEs in the six targeted countries, each of which illustrate how innovations and technologies are being used by firms to participate in subregional and global value chains and to utilize the trade agreements to which these countries are parties, such as the agreements establishing the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area.