Promotion of economic development for Honduras with strengthened Chambers of Commerce and Industry

Honduran Chambers of Commerce and Industry use know-how acquired from a previous bfz project in otrder to strengthen other national chambers.

Together with the two high performing Honduran chambers from Tegucigalpa (CCIT) and Choloma (CCICH), bbw offers training and education for the organisational development of the umbrella organisation FEDECAMARA and three other chambers of commerce in Santa Barbara, Atlántida and Olancho. Tegucigalpa and Choloma accompany and support the transfer of knowledge, providing at the same time sustainable consolidation of the know-how in the chambers of the country. The aim of the project is for Honduran micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to benefit from improved services provided by the local chambers of commerce and industry and thus contribute to sustainable economic development and poverty reduction. 

Systematic business development requires customised services

In Honduras, there is only a limited market for business development services. Numerous, often informal MSMEs are family businesses and either have no financial means for commercial external offers or are hardly aware of the need for professional support. On the other hand, the network of mostly small and low performing chambers of commerce and industry in Honduras often does a good job, especially in the area of representation of interests and lobbying. However, it often offers only few and not always customised services for systematic business development. The chambers can and should provide important support here.

Sharing knowledge helps to cope with big tasks

With the support of bbw and national and international experts, FEDECAMARA and the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Santa Barbara, Atlántida and Olancho are carrying out their own strategic planning for the first time. A strategy for improving public relations, including the creation of new, contemporary logos, is also being developed.

Services tried and tested in Honduras, such as granting small loans to founders and advisory services on tax issues, are introduced at the participating chambers. 

From an earlier bfz project, the two chambers of commerce in Tegucigalpa and Choloma have permanently established the idea of building specialist groups, generating sustainable income through this approach. The success of these specialist groups is based on the network effect, whereby companies in one sector, which otherwise perceive each other as competitors, experience that they generate higher turnover, new hires, quality improvements, better training, joint trade fair appearances, etc. through joint projects. This know-how is also passed on through the project.

Involving the umbrella chamber FEDECAMARA ensures that these experiences and best practices are centrally located and thus can be further spread in the chamber network in Honduras.

The project is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via sequa gGmbH.

Period: June 2020 –  February 2021

Funding: