Integrated Trade and SME Support Facility Programme (ITSSF).

The Integrated Trade and SME Support Facility Programme (ITSSF) was developed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Afghanistan in 2010 with the aim to provide a roadmap for a strategic and sequential development of the private sector in the country. The programme is to run for three years (2010-2013) and its main objective is to deepen and complement the essential role of the private sector in promoting economic growth and generating income by creating jobs that contribute to the sustained poverty reduction. A comprehensive action plan is outlined to cover the following four components: 1) legal, institutional and structural reform to strengthen the enabling environment for private sector; 2) facilitating trade and increasing exports opportunities; 3) developing resilient and competitive small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and industrial sectors; and 4) reforming the public institutions charged with assisting the development of the private sector.
The Programme outlines an agri-business strategy that includes measures to move Afghanistan up the value chain, improve the quality of Afghan agricultural products and manufactured food and drinks. It seeks to expand trading activities in agricultural products by setting up agricultural facilitation offices both inside and outside Afghanistan.
Further the Programme seeks to create stabilized and predictable national markets in general with increased integration with regional and international markets. It will also seek to improve competitiveness and promote economic diversification by lowering market entry and exit costs allowing the private sector to find new markets and products. In addition, it aims at integrating Afghanistan into regional and global markets through strengthening and negotiating new multilateral and bilateral agreements on regional and international levels.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the leading implementing ministry of the Programme, which will be carried out in full partnership with institutions supporting private sector development, and key donors.