In Kismayo and Baidoa, women’s entrepreneurship relies largely on short-term humanitarian livelihood support. Limited access to finance, market information, skills and gender-responsive business services prevents women from growing their businesses. The GIZ project aims to improve women’s economic participation by strengthening women-led enterprises along selected value chains and improving the quality of entrepreneurship support services.
Anteja deepens up to four value chains, addressing technical, organisational and market bottlenecks. It trains local trainers as multipliers, with follow-up sessions and one-on-one mentoring, and facilitates linkages between suppliers, processors, vendors and consumers.
Project duration: June 2026 – February 2027 Region: Kismayo and Baidoa, Somalia
Connective Cities, implemented by GIZ, connects municipal practitioners from Germany and partner countries to initiate local reform measures. Its green hydrogen working group brings together municipalities from Sub-Saharan Africa and Germany to explore how renewable resources can supply local industries, create jobs and build a local hydrogen economy. The working group now focuses on concrete solutions, pilot measures and project applications. Anteja provides the technical steering, expertise and moderation of the working group. It moderates peer-learning workshops, organises expert missions and contributes to virtual insight sessions on good practice. It initiates and supervises short analyses, feasibility checks and pilot measures, including cooperation models between investors, companies and municipalities.
Project duration: May 2026 – July 2027 Region: Sub-Saharan Africa and Germany
The assignment developed a self-assessment tool that measures how far Serbian SME suppliers meet ESG requirements under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The tool covers 18 ESG reporting criteria based on the voluntary SME standard (VSME ESRS exposure draft, November 2023) and guides companies on how to meet them. The project also built the capacity of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) to assess SME readiness for European green standards and to coach companies on sustainability.
Anteja designed a sustainability framework based on ESG, ESRS and CSRD requirements and developed a digital ESG self-assessment tool with automated reporting. It piloted the tool with SMEs, refined it and deployed it. Anteja trained CCIS staff in sustainability metrics, circular economy concepts and value chain assessment, and developed a coaching tool and questionnaire so that CCIS can coach SMEs and evaluate their compliance. The tools and methods were adapted so they can be scaled to other SIPPO countries.
Project duration: May 2023 – November 2024 Region: Serbia
The assignment assessed opportunities for European horticulture companies to set up or expand operations in Africa and provided IFC with an actionable framework for engaging investors in sustainable, high-end agricultural supply chains. It confirmed interest from credible horticulture players. Their motivations are to extend production periods, reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-heated greenhouses and limit exposure to volatile energy prices. Africa offers them diversification, competitive costs and the potential to meet EU deforestation-free and sustainability requirements.
Because horticulture is capital-intensive, even sophisticated European players need tailored support to enter African supply markets and comply with EU standards. Anteja mapped European horticulture players and prioritised a pipeline for African expansion by company size, sustainability posture and market readiness. It assessed horticulture supply chains, including environmental and social aspects, and grouped opportunities into sub-asset classes that define investable themes.
Using a selection framework, Anteja shortlisted companies and prepared company briefs and investor-ready pitch materials. It facilitated IFC’s engagement with priority firms and refined the prioritisation based on those discussions. It also outlined EU market-access compliance and financing considerations to inform outreach to financial institutions.
Project duration: June – December 2024 Region: Africa and Europe
The future holds many challenges and the EU responds with respective programs and objectives, like Agenda 30‘s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Fit for 55 – the EU’s plan for a green transition and especially the Circular Economy Action Plan (part of European Green Deal). The latter sets clear objectives which also contribute to the goal of the other programs: Make sustainable products the norm in the EU; focus on the sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high, including batteries and vehicles, packaging, textiles, plastics, ICT, construction and buildings, food, water and nutrients; ensure less waste; make circularity work for people, regions and cities.
With regard to the EU response, it is clear that Circular Economy Business Models (CEBM) are given a special role in addressing current and future challenges at a transnational level and that they are significant for achieving the set objectives. However, the development and implementation of CEBM meets common obstacles in the DR such as local regulations contrary to the circular concept, lack of infrastructure for waste treatment, lack of recycling technology and especially a lack of adequately planned business models.
This is where the project aims to intervene by providing methods and tools to SMEs, Startups, Economic Developers for the development of successful CEBM by modelling existing best practice CEBM (in batteries, food, textile, packaging, smart city), in-depth simulations on ecological and social dimensions and continuous monitoring of the CEBM’s success – protected by blockchain technology. Accordingly, the implementation of this pilots and targeted qualification measures will ensure a thorough understanding of CE value chains and allow for knowledge transfer from the existing best practice CEBM across borders and sectors within the DR, turning the supposed weakness of geographical segmentation into a new and unique innovation accelerator.
The role of Anteja ECG in the DECIDE project is to provide expertise and leadership in circular bioeconomy, value chain development, digital tools, and related policies. Anteja’s main activities and contributions include development and integration of Tools: Anteja will leverage its expertise in digital tools and analysis to develop and refine tools that support advanced analysis and creation of circular value chains. The organization will ensure that the tools developed within the project are further developed, disseminated, and utilized in practice to accelerate the transition to a more circular economy. Anteja will draw upon its experience from previous projects to refine, adapt and integrate these tools into the DECIDE Toolbox and to the specific needs of the project.
The total funding for the entire project amounts to EUR 2,309,400.02. Anteja will receive EUR 232,800.00 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for its contribution as one of the main partners of the project.
Joining Ugandan moringa producers to make Uganda a global hotspot for high quality and transparent moringa products.
The cluster aims to group the Ugandan moringa producers, who work with thousands of smallholder farmers and produce high-quality and transparent moringa products, in order to make Uganda a global hotspot for high quality and transparent moringa products.
Bioeconomy has a huge potential in the Danube region which could promote development based on innovation, new services, and value chains. The development of new bio-based value chains from primary production to consumer markets requires connecting firms across national boundaries and industries. Together with other expert groups from across the Danube region, Anteja helped to articulate a joint bio-based Industry Cluster Policy Strategy to further promote bio-based value chains. The clusters and SMEs benefit from the innovative tools and methods developed for transnational cross-clustering. Three sector-specific value chains were established and serve as a model for future development of bio-based industry activities in the Danube region. The main stakeholders include the four ministries from the region, the clusters and their SMEs, and the nine cluster organizations involved.
Meier zu Köcker G., Patzelt D., Dermastia M., Osvald D., Švajger G., Keller M. (June, 2019). Common Action Plan towards better framework conditions for bio-based eco-innovation in 1 Danube Region. DanuBioValNet.
Multiple countries’ effort to enable the Alpine regions to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth of economically viable activities.
Duration: Start date: 1.11.2016 End date: 30.4.2019
Funding/Budget
Total eligible costs: 2.521.964 EUR
ERDF grant: 1.929.500 EUR
The S3-fAlpClusters project enhanced smart industrial transition in the Alpine regions through the interplay between clusters and Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3).
The Smart Specialisation concept is an integral part of the EU Cohesion Policy. Several EU regions have developed their Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). The challenge is to implement S3 through clusters. In the Alpine Space, the implementation of S3 by clusters and cluster organizations can offer an innovative approach for improving innovation capacity. Cross-regional approaches can serve to support coordinated actions between different sectors or regions. Transnational cluster cooperation helps to achieve a critical mass of SMEs and enhances cross-regional collaboration in relevant Alpine Space areas.
The activities of fourteen project partners included: – exchanges of information and knowledge among political decision-makers from different regions of the Alpine region, including business, academics and civil society – facilitation of innovation through cluster initiatives (innovation groups) across the Alpine Space with a strong technological orientation and a high degree of complementarity between the clusters – cluster-to-cluster cooperation involving all relevant stakeholders: regional political bodies, academic institutions, business and civil society.
Technical assistance for the capacity building of the national SME support infrastructure and the preparation of the Bangladeshi national SME development strategy as well as the management of the SME competitiveness grant scheme.
Reference: EuropeAid/130016/C/SER/BD, Programme Components 1 and 2b
This Technical Assistance (TA) program was aimed at ensuring, under the Component 1, that an adequate policy and strategy for the SME development is established and that that key institutions, such as the Small and Medium Enterprise Cell (SMEC) of the Ministry of Industries (MoI) and the Small and Medium Enterprise Foundation (SMEF), have adequate capacity and clear roles and responsibilities to support the SME development. Furthermore, under the Component 2, the program aimed at strengthening some of the Business Intermediary Organizations, thus, allowing them to better support their members, increase their membership and work upon behalf of their sector, and support private sector development, in particular facilitate the development of dynamic clusters with efficient backward and forward linkages.
The program included:
a multi-sectoral and inter-ministerial national strategy and action plan for theSME development, addressing all aspects of SME support, including improvements in the business environment in line with accepted international best practice
a strengthened national capacity to plan and implement SME development
an effective SME networking mechanisms aimed at sharing best practices
the SME Competitiveness Grant Scheme of €6.5m to business intermediary organisations in the following sectors: agro-processing, natural fibres, leather, plastics, light engineering, electronics, furniture and textiles
a support to clusters by using value chain development initiatives that seek to increase the SME competitiveness in agreed sectors and provide capacity building to business intermediary organisations (BIOs) in lobbying, advocacy, networking, public-private sector dialogue and the provision of business development services (BDS) to their members.
Anteja led the development of the SME Cluster Development Policy, promoting linkages, networks and clustering of SMEs on a sector-specific basis. This included advice on the value chain development, training for policymakers and the SME Foundation staff, benchmarking of cluster related organisations, institutional needs assessment analysis for cluster development, development of Cluster Strategy and financial support mechanisms.
INSPIRED was funded by the EU and the Government of The People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The contracting authority was the Ministry of Industries, the main beneficiary. Other beneficiaries were the SME Foundation and the Bangladesh Bank. The programme is aimed at supporting the development of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in Bangladesh.
Contributing to the implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategies through clusters and value chains
EU Interreg Clusterix 2.0 addressed the improvement of regional innovation policies by making a better use of clusters. The evaluation was based on benchmarking that explored the role of the regional cluster excellence portfolio to provide inputs for development and testing innovation models. Assignment included documentary review and analysis of key features of Smart Specializations Strategies and cluster programs. It also involved analysis of the policy making process, the program development and the implementation process against regional economic objectives and benchmarking of selected clusters. Additional activities consisted of preparation and implementation of interviews, peer review workshops and identification of good practice and tools for the S3 implementation via clusters.
