| Project Detail |
In the Central American Region, JICA begins its assistance in improving the Quality and Productivity of SMEs with the Training Center for Trainers and Technical Personnel for Industrial Development (CEFOF), which was founded in 1992 in Costa Rica. Subsequently, it carries out technical assistance by sending Japanese experts in the area of ??Productivity, Quality Management and Business Development to strengthen the capacities of CEFOF consultants so that the Center could provide services to SMEs for the improvement of the quality and productivity, according to the needs of SMEs in Costa Rica and the countries of the Region.
In 2008, JICA continued to give its support by promoting the technical cooperation project called "Project for the Development of Facilitators Capacities in the Improvement of Productivity and Quality for SMEs, aimed at institutions that support SMEs in the countries of Central America and the Caribbean (Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama), in which their personnel (known as facilitators) were trained in order to strengthen the technical support system of the same institutions and establish a technical assistance methodology to improve the quality and productivity of SMEs, based mainly on the implementation of Japanese techniques.
Responding to the cooperation requests submitted, bilateral cooperation projects have been carried out in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, and it is planned to start projects with Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras. As the projects have been implemented simultaneously in these countries, JICA regards them as regional cooperation.
The present difficulties are expressed in the lack of a business culture and entrepreneurial spirit, with scarce financial resources, difficult access to financing, with low levels of administrative and business training, low levels of productive innovation, insensitivity to business network strategies, limited capacity to conquer markets and a high vulnerability to external influences.
The efforts that JICA has deployed in Nicaragua using different cooperation schemes such as the dispatch of Japanese experts to improve the dairy sector, export promotion, industrial statistics and different training courses both in Japan and in third countries, monitoring of activities of participants from courses with studies and development of business plans have systematically contributed to diminish the breadth of difficulties faced by SMEs. This project will contribute to improving the lack of a business culture and entrepreneurial spirit, with scarce financial resources, with low levels of administrative and business training, limited ability to conquer markets
Higher Goal
The services to improve the quality, productivity and business management of the TYPNs in Nicaragua will be provided continuously.
Objective of the project
A national action plan will be formulated for the training and use of Trainers and Facilitators who provide services to improve the quality, productivity and management of the TYPN. |
