AdobeStock©metamorworks
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are essential drivers of employment, innovation, and economic resilience—particularly in developing countries. However, they often face significant barriers to market entry and growth, such as regulatory burdens, limited access to finance, and anti-competitive practices.
The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these challenges, leading to widespread MSME market exits and disruptions, particularly in digital economies. In response, the United Nations launched the Development Account project “Global Initiative towards post-COVID-19 Resurgence of the MSME Sector”, with UNCTAD leading the competition policy component.
Within this framework, UNCTAD developed a dedicated online training course to enhance the understanding of how competition law and policy can support MSME development and contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic recovery.
Purpose
The course seeks to build the capacity of policymakers and institutional stakeholders to harness competition policy as a strategic tool for promoting MSME growth, resilience, and integration into competitive markets. It emphasizes the importance of aligning competition frameworks with MSME development objectives, particularly in the digital and post-crisis contexts.
Key Focus Areas
Delivered over five structured modules (35–40 hours), this self-paced online course provides participants with a practical and policy-oriented understanding of:
- The role of competition policy in promoting MSME access to markets
- Common regulatory and structural barriers affecting MSMEs
- Inter-agency cooperation between competition authorities and MSME support institutions
- MSME participation in digital markets and challenges in accessing digital platforms
- Competition and financial access issues for MSMEs
- International experiences, recommended practices, and policy coordination mechanisms
Course content is delivered through UNCTAD’s online learning platform and includes expert video lectures, case studies, and interactive activities. Participants may complete the course at their own pace between 2 June and 31 July 2025. A certificate of completion is issued to those who successfully finish all modules and evaluations.
Following the first two offerings of this course, over 100 certificates were awarded to participants from more than 40 countries.
Audience
This course is intended for:
- Officials from competition authorities
- Representatives of MSME development agencies and government ministries
- Staff of regulatory bodies involved in trade, enterprise, and digital markets
- Professionals from international and regional organizations working on MSME or competition-related issues
The course may also benefit stakeholders from civil society, academia, and other institutions involved in market governance and enterprise support.
