Supporting MSMEs and entrepreneurs in times of the COVID-19-crisis, Developing/transition economies, GIZ and Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Project Description

The COVID-19 crisis and its repercussions on production systems and consumer demand is hitting companies around the world, putting them at risk of insolvency and massive redundancies. Ricardo Pinto was commission to develop and present a paper on “Supporting MSMEs and entrepreneurs in times of the COVID-19 crisis” for GIZ and BMZ, designed to be generic and cover both developing and emerging economies, and which provides an overview of the:

• Nature of the demand and supply shock as well as transmission mechanisms affecting MSMEs in developing country contexts;
• Impacts of the crisis on MSMEs and entrepreneurs, disaggregated by type of enterprise;
• Typology of measures for supporting small firms during the crisis:
  • Boosting Demand and Preserving Value Chains.
  • Accessing Finance.
  • Protecting working capital / liquidity.
  • Protecting Jobs and Employment.
• Phases of COVID-19: outbreak and recovery;
• Targeting support measures to small businesses/entrepreneurs in formal and informal sectors;
• New opportunities for SMEs such as decarbonisation, digital transformation, innovation and technology transfer;
• Use of grant and voucher scheme instruments to support MSMEs. 

Services Provided

• International research
• MSME expertise
• Report writing
• COVID-19 response