The ACGBP Project

The APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership (ACGBP) is an initiative implemented by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) and funded by the Government of Canada. This initiative helps build the potential of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to promote poverty reduction and sustainable, gender-responsive, and inclusive economic growth in the APEC region.

MSMEs are known as the “backbone” of all economies in the APEC region, but this is especially true of developing economies. According to APEC’s Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group (APEC SMEWG), MSMEs make up 97 percent of all businesses in the APEC region, employ over half of the regional workforce, and contribute 40 to 60 percent of GDP in most economies. MSMEs provide crucial economic opportunities to local populations, especially women, youth, and rural communities. In the APEC region, approximately 38 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises are owned by women. As a result, MSMEs are among the key drivers of economic growth, innovation, and opportunity in the region. Although progress has been made to support women- and young women-led MSMEs, there is an opportunity to strengthen such efforts to create a supportive ecosystem for economic empowerment. 

ACGBP offers best practices, tools, ideas, knowledge and critical connections tailored to the local markets of APEC economies. It aims to address key challenges faced by MSME entrepreneurs in thematic challenge areas, including women’s economic empowerment, environmentally sustainable MSME development, innovation to fuel access to technology and digitalization, and advancement of human rights to support the right of women and young people to own businesses and engage in decent work. By building this website as a knowledge hub of research and tools, APF Canada envisions that MSMEs in APEC economies, particularly those owned by women, will gain improved access to new tools, knowledge, and connections to support their business growth.