The Inter-American Development Bank’s (IADB) Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) will provide a US$403,750 grant for a project to raise productivity and efficiency levels of small and medium-size enterprises in Guatemala through the application of e-commerce tools and information and communication technologies.

The project seeks to strengthen Guatemalan entrepreneurs “knowledge and abilities to employ such technologies to increase their businesses “competitiveness and to expand or penetrate markets.

Under the project, local business people and consultants will be trained and SMEs will be assessed individually to help them define investment plans and the use of information and communication technologies in their operations.
The project, which was prepared jointly by the IADB’s Information Technology for Development Division and the MIF, will be carried out by the Guatemala Chamber of Commerce. The chamber has 21 regional chapters and 12 municipal associations that will play a key role in the dissemination of training, consulting and internet services at a national scale.

The MIF, an autonomous fund administered by the IADB, provides grants, investments and loans to support the development of the private sector in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on micro, small and medium-size enterprises.