With Hubs in Zambia and Colombia now entering their implementation stages, a third country, Mozambique has just begun the initial scoping phase.
The Business in Development Facility (BIDF) aims to help countries systematically scale up partnership action through the creation of locally-owned and run Business and Development Partnership Hubs. These are multi-stakeholder platforms designed to engage business, facilitate dialogue and innovation, and directly support public private partnership action on key business and development challenges.
Depending on the context, the hubs may focus on specific issues (e.g. skills development or tackling chronic disease), markets (e.g. a particular agricultural value chains) or geographies. The hubs are ideal wherever there is a need for collective action – because of the complexity of the challenge, the necessity of systemic or transformational change, or the need to bring to bear innovation or diverse resources. Their focus is on maximising partnership effectiveness and mainstreaming the use of partnerships.
In Zambia (with SIDA) and Colombia (with SIDA and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs), TPI undertook scoping exercises in 2013 to assess the need and determine the focus of the hubs, and to find locally-based organisations to run them. In Zambia, AMSCO, which helps to build human capital for sustainable African Enterprises, is supporting the hub development. In doing so, AMSCO is working closely with a range of stakeholders from government, business and development agencies to support partnerships focusing on skills development, enterprise development, agriculture and health. In Colombia, the national business association, Andi, will be hosting the hub, working with the Global Compact Local Network, and with a number of government and development agencies. Together they will look at building capacity for partnering, and developing tools for monitoring and evaluation, as well as directly supporting partnerships.
Now, in Mozambique, DFID and SNV are supporting a new scoping exercise undertaken by TPI Associate, Todd Kirkbride, with an emphasis on the potential for supporting inclusive business. The scoping should be completed by the end of June.
The BIDF is an open platform currently supported by the SNV, the Swedish International Development Agency and DFID, and implemented with The Partnering Initiative.
I refer to the recent question about engaging business as a partner in development – a very important theme and challenge. Having worked in many developing countries for many years, my experience suggests that it is essential to pay attention to the two sides of this issue: what should governments do to enhance a more conducive business environment, and how should business leaders revisit and adjust practices that have not been particularly pro-development. It is widely accepted that many countries can do more to improve the legal, economic and regulatory environment for business and to strengthen institutions which are responsible for implementing reforms and reviewing business practices in a transparent manner.
At the same time, business practices (by both domestic and foreign businesses) leave much to be desired in many developing countries. Corruption and greed are issues that are costing these countries much in development outcomes and are costing business much in the longer run.
This comment does acknowledge that progress is being made in some countries to improve the climate for business partnership and that many business firms are recognising the urgency of adopting more of a partnership approach in poor countries rather than an opportunistic behaviour that aims at maximising short-term profits.
It is hoped that the new Global Partnership will address these issues in a balanced manner and that business leaders will engage actively in the debate and in framing recommendations to speed up implementing feasible yet robust measures to forge a sustainable business partnership for development.
Talaat Abdel-Malek