MSEs have great potential to contribute to development in Bolivia, but they face problems such as limited access to technology and markets. The Jiwasa Programme, which is implemented by the devolved agency PROBOLIVIA, was designed jointly by the Ministry of Productive Development and the Plural Economy, SDC and DANIDA. It seeks to strengthen MSEs by providing regional-level services supported by public-private partnerships. The priority clusters are food production, leather, textiles, wood and metalwork, in urban areas of five departments in the Andean region of the country. The proposal is consistent with SDC’s Cooperation Strategy for 2013-2016, which prioritises working with disadvantaged groups, including women, to increase their income and improve their jobs, as well as helping to increase pro-poor public investment.

Contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction by improving production conditions in urban areas of Bolivia.

3,500 MSEs will be provided with funding/services directly through business improvement plans; 10,000 people with employment links to these MSEs, 35% of whom are women, will improve their jobs.

Indirectly, 100,000 MSEs involved in processing are expected to register with PROBOLIVIA and access the benefits of regional public-private agreements.

Outcome 1. MSEs are better integrated in the local economy, with regional agreements aimed at strengthening them.

Outcome 2. MSEs production processes have improved as a result of the technical assistance and cleaner production services, training and seed capital provided by the Programme, tailored to their requirements and with gender equity.

Outcome 3.  MSEs are more involved in the market following promotion of the official register, competency certification, financial inclusion, associations, and implementation of business strategies. 20’000 MSEs are registered with PROBOLIVIA as the first step in their formalisation.

Expected results:  

i) Regional public-private agreement partners strengthened; ii) Programme results systematised for scaling-up; iii) Technical assistance services and seed capital provided to MSEs to address bottlenecks;  iv) Competency certification to meet occupational needs; v) Business models established to improve access to productive inputs and markets; vi) Partnerships with financial services providers consolidated.

Results from previous phases:  

Opening credit key results:

• Analysis of the current situation and bottlenecks in five priority production clusters.
• Identification of barriers faced by women in MSEs in the priority clusters.
• Opportunities for implementing cleaner production in each priority cluster.
• Design of the Programme baseline.

Departmental and municipal governments in La Paz, Potosí, Cochabamba, Oruro and Chuquisaca. Productive Development Bank. Foundations, NGOs and companies providing technical assistance.

SDC projects: Rural Markets / Seed Capital, Vocational and Professional Training.

Other donors: World Bank and European Union as PROBOLIVIA funders.

Phase 1 01.09.2014 - 31.03.2020   (Completed)