All news: microenterprises + small enterprises + informal enterprises + value chains

Charting a New Path: Stakeholders Validate Blueprint for Women's Entrepreneurship Empowerment in Nigeria

International collaboration and commitment set the stage for a three-year strategy to bolster women's entrepreneurship and enterprise formalization in Nigeria.

ILO Voices | Informal economy

Formalization is transforming my shea butter business

Zakaria Adama Lacera shares the challenges and rewards of formalizing her shea butter production and soap business in Ghana.

Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work Ghana

Enterprise formalisation takes centre stage as a bottle-neck to productivity growth in Ghana

ILO to adapt Formalise Your Business tool for pilot in Ghana’s Textile sector

Improved productivity evidence for better policy making in South Africa

In this interview, Mothunye Mothiba, Chief Executive Officer of Productivity South Africa, discusses how partnering with the ILO Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work team will improve productivity analytics to support policy work involving key...

Clearer legal status will allow household businesses to thrive

Consultation workshops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City gather ideas and opinions for the draft Decree on household business.

Sustainable supply chains

EU and UN agencies join forces to address root causes of child labour

A new EU-funded action will tackle the root causes of child labour in supply chains, focusing primarily on coffee and leveraging existing efforts on cobalt. Under the leadership of the ILO, the project will be jointly implemented with FAO and...

Vision Zero Fund (VZF)

International Labour Organization promotes safety and health in coffee supply chain

The #CoffeePeople campaign, launched on International Coffee Day, urges collaboration between governments, employers, workers' organizations, and the private sector to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for the millions of coffee workers...

Just transition and climate change issues high on the constituents’ agenda in Kyrgyzstan

On 5-10 September 2023, national tripartite constituents – government, employers’ and workers organizations - and other partners participated here in a series of events dedicated to the climate change and just transition agenda.

Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work Ghana

Young Ghanaians receive training on quality improvement in textile and garment sector

An ILO-GIZ collaboration equips Ghana’s young workers with practical skills to promote quality improvement and advance productivity growth.

ILO and METI to co-host event promoting Business and Human Rights in Jakarta, Indonesia

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan are jointly hosting a dialogue event in Jakarta, Indonesia, to boost human rights initiatives in Asian countries.

Bolivia: the vital role of SMEs in socioeconomic growth

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Bolivia are moving towards better working conditions through incentives promoted by the ILO and the SCORE Programme.

Access to formal work

How knowledge became power for Syrian women in Türkiye

Gülsüm and Emel are two young Syrian women whose lives changed after visiting one of the ILO’s Information Centres (BILMER) in Istanbul, where they gained knowledge on social protection and safety.

Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs trainers begin intensive training on ILO’s flagship business management programme- Start and Improve...

The Training of Trainers programme will equip twenty-two trainers on the implementation of the programme, supporting women and men who are looking to start or expand their own small and medium enterprises.

ILO, JCI and partners discuss challenges and solutions to boost productivity, decent work, and export of Jordanian agri-food MSMEs

Discussions were based on the main findings and recommendations included in the position paper —drafted by the JCI, with the technical support of the ILO — called “Key Factors Affecting the Productivity of the Food, Catering, Agricultural and...

A joint study of ILO and OJK reveals the urgent need for digital transformation in rural banks

The ILO and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) launch key findings of their latest study revealing opportunities, challenges and gaps in the development and adaption of digital financial services in banking sector. The key findings support the...

Decent work in Chile’s wine industry: A pilot programme for fair practices and social dialogue

Encouraging entrepreneurs

ILO launches business plan competition to boost entrepreneurship in Ethiopia’s Somali region

The competition offers financial support and specialized training to promising business ideas, aiming to stimulate entrepreneurship and sustainable economic growth among refugees and their hosts in the Somali region.

Action plan for formalization in the Solomon Islands takes shape

Financial inclusion, digitalization, and blended finance identified amongst potential pathways to formality for informal enterprises.

ILO pursues its support of decent job creation in the agribusiness sector

GYB and SYB adaptation to Sudan