Introduction

The focus of this course is on creating and managing multi-stakeholder processes that take place in the local and regional urban economy. Regions and localities are faced with two major trends in opposite directions: internationalization and decentralization. Internationalization exacerbates the interactions between the global and the local levels but operates selectively.

It includes only those actors that participate in networks in which competitiveness drives constant transformations and restructuring. Decentralization is a means to cope with complexity and a reaction to growing demands for greater responsiveness and sustainability by citizens, clients, and consumers. The two trends have changed the ways in which the multiple stakeholders relate to each other in the local and regional economy.

Competition and cooperation are blended in the links between firms, between firms and state and non-state actors. The central concern for the governance of sustainable local economic development is to create synergies between the policies and interventions of business, state, and non-state or civic actors. These come together around specific opportunities for local economic development for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Who Should Attend

The course is meant for government officials (municipal, provincial or national), representatives of private sector organizations and employees of NGOs that are dealing or will deal with SME development and/or Local Economic Development Policies

No of Days

5 days

Course Objectives

• Challenge of creating synergies between policies and their stakeholders
• Learn how can we get our local economy to grow in an inclusive way
• Role of Entrepreneurs and small businesses as the backbone of local economy
• How do entrepreneurship and innovation affect local economy?
• Locality Development

Content Outline

Introduction

In this module, the concept of Local Economic Development (LED) is introduced and its main theories are discussed. Focus on theories of systemic and territorial competitiveness; the role of institutions in economic development; Multi-stakeholder economic development: business system and embedding of geographical production networks.

This module includes the following sessions:

• Conceptualizing local economic development studies
• Why has LED become an issue? - Globalization, cohesion, and competitiveness
• Why has LED become an issue? - Decentralization and Local Economic Development
• Territorial competitiveness
• Theories of Competitiveness: Porter and Best
• Presentation assignment using the world bank database
• Constructing competitiveness from below: export base of an area
• Analyzing the competitiveness index: how is it composed and what does it mean?

Small Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development

The module focuses on the role of small and medium-sized enterprises, their role in the local economy and the constraints in their development. A distinction is made between enterprises, formal or informal, with growth potential and informal businesses that are survival oriented. The module focuses on strategies that support enterprise development: entrepreneurship development, incubator, and innovation systems.

• Entrepreneurship and enterprises development
• Incubators: operational and strategic services
• SME development
• Business Development Support
• Financial services
• Group presentations of SME support case studies: 4 cases of participants

Clusters and value chains

This module focuses on the one hand on the local organization of small enterprises in clusters and the multi-stakeholder initiatives that can increase their efficiency and innovation capability. On the other hand, it examines the way in which small enterprises are inserted in external production networks or value chains and elaborates on multi-stakeholder interventions to strengthen their positioning in these chains.

• Cluster development
• SME cooperation in cluster development
• Stakeholder analysis of clusters
• Value chains 1: basic principles
• Value chains 2: standards and upgrading
• Value chains 3: agri-food systems
• Small producer upgrading in value chains: role of chain promoters
• Discuss field visit: cluster and value chain analysis

Locality development

Based on the theory of territorial competitiveness, the question raised is how best to develop local economic policies with stakeholders market the city and strategically plan local economic development.

• Urban livelihood and LED promotion
• Urban livelihood and LED promotion
• Locality development and urban economic policies
• Local organizations for LED promotion
• Managing stakeholder fora for city economic development
• City marketing
• City marketing case studies
• Strategic planning for LED

General Notes

·         All our courses can be Tailor-made to participants' needs

·         The participant must be conversant in English

·         Presentations are well-guided, practical exercises, web-based tutorials, and group work. Our facilitators are experts with more than 10 years of experience.

·         Upon completion of training the participant will be issued with a Foscore development center certificate (FDC-K)

·         Training will be done at the Foscore development center (FDC-K) centers. We also offer inhouse and online training on the client schedule

·         Course duration is flexible and the contents can be modified to fit any number of days.

·         The course fee for onsite training includes facilitation training materials, 2 coffee breaks, a buffet lunch, and a Certificate of successful completion of Training. Participants will be responsible for their own travel expenses and arrangements, airport transfers, visa application dinners, health/accident insurance, and other personal expenses.

·         Accommodation, pickup, freight booking, and Visa processing arrangement, are done on request, at discounted prices.

·         Tablet and Laptops are provided to participants on request as an add-on cost to the training fee.

·         One-year free Consultation and Coaching provided after the course.

·         Register as a group of more than two and enjoy a discount of (10% to 50%)

·         Payment should be done before commence of the training or as agreed by the parties, to the FOSCORE DEVELOPMENT CENTER account, so as to enable us to prepare better for you.

·         For any inquiries reach us at training@fdc-k.org or +254712260031

·         Website:www.fdc-k.org