Creating impact together

Why and how Swisscontact can mobilise the right partners:

• Local presence and trust
  Swisscontact has been active for decades in developing and emerging countries worldwide and is closely connected with local companies and institutions. This trust enables us to bring actors to the table who would often not enter into dialogue without experienced facilitation.
• Expertise in market systems development
  Our approach is designed to strengthen market systems. We create incentives for private and public actors to take joint action and initiate long-term change. Companies – international as well as local – benefit from improved framework conditions, skilled workers, and stronger market structures.
• Thematic expertise
  Swisscontact has a strong network of private and institutional partners in specific topical areas and industries. This facilitates collaboration, enables synergies, and makes Swisscontact a credible partner for new cooperation initiatives.

Added value for companies and partner countries

In 2025, Swisscontact collaborated with companies operating internationally as part of public–private partnerships in various sectors and regions. For these companies, this collaboration primarily involved skills development, labour market integration and improved local market conditions. Companies also benefited from better access to qualified local workers, networking opportunities with other sectors, and closer links to local markets.

Partner countries also reaped the rewards of these collaborations. Local companies were able to strengthen their capacities, improve their access to markets and technologies, and grow with a more skilled workforce. At an individual level, people acquired skills that enabled them to increase their income through employment or self-employment.

Partnerships that make a difference

Two selected projects illustrate collaboration between public institutions and private companies facilitated by Swisscontact.

The Eye Focus Project in Kenya improves access to eye care services for people in rural and peri-urban areas. It strengthens local health markets by establishing public–private partnerships in ophthalmology and involving both government institutions and private health providers. Through this collaboration, a resilient system emerges that improves healthcare provision and local economic productivity over the long term. The project is funded by Novartis and the Fred Hollows Foundation.

The Shompritee Project supports people in Bangladesh who have been forced to leave their homes because of flooding, river erosion, and other climate impacts. It works closely with municipalities and local actors to improve access to basic services such as water, sanitation, health care, and livelihoods. The project is co‑financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and private partners such as Lokales Wasser / Max Ditting AG. Together, they support practical improvements that help heavily affected communities cope with everyday challenges. Through this public–private partnership, municipal systems are strengthened to better respond to migration, improve service delivery, and create more stable living conditions for displaced people.