Supporting buyer-supplier relationships: USAID Technical Brief no. 1, 2007
| Date completed | July 2007 | |
|---|---|---|
| Country(ies) | Brazil, Ghana, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania, United Republic Of |
- Description
Market linkages are a popular intervention for enterprise development practitioners. As communication channels extend, accessibility to market information expands, and regional and international trade channels open, it is becoming easier to link local suppliers in lower income countries to international buyers and markets. Yet, facilitating the connection between suppliers and buyers is not enough to ensure that profitable relationships occur, much less endure. Making these relationships last requires open communication, a clear articulation of each party's expectations and incentives, and a mutual understanding of capabilities, responsibilities, and standards. Without these factors, donors may be successful in bringing buyers and suppliers together for initial orders, but the relationships fail to produce long-term business transactions in situations where buyers can pass on increasingly high value activities and responsibilities to their suppliers.
Summary of results
Six associated case studies are also available (see below).
Case Study 1: Ghana Handicrafts to Big-Box Retailers