The Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH is a service enter¬prise for development cooperation with worldwide operations. Owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, the organization operates as a private-sector enterprise with a development-policy mandate: to make sustainable improvements to the living conditions of people in partner countries and to conserve the natural resource base on which life depends.

Established in 1974 by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, GTZ, although government-owned, was given the legal status of a private limited liability company (GmbH) under German law. This status has two significant advantages: as a private company GTZ is able to offer its clients competitive, needs- and target-oriented services, whilst government ownership vouches for its integrity and reputability.

GTZ’s advisory services place emphasis on the building of institutional capacities in order to strengthen public institutions. This includes strengthening of core state functions, allocating market forces and promoting implementation capacity within and between governmental, private and para-state organizations. In 2004 GTZ supported about2,726 projects in 134 partner countries.

The organization has more than 11,000 employees in 134 countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa, the eastern European countries in transition and the CIS. Around 7,700 are locally contracted nationals, of whom more than 40% are management personnel. GTZ maintains its own Offices in 67 countries. Around 1,100 people are employed at the Head Office in Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main.

For more information please visit GTZ home page www.gtz.de

PEM GmbH consulting – planning – realisation – management

Company Profile :

PEM GmbH is a private and independent consulting firm providing advisory services and technical assistance to public institutions, private sector organizations and individual enterprises in developing countries and economies in transition.

Since almost 25 years PEM GmbH has been operating in all major fields related to economic development and gained in-depth experience in a range of geographic, economic and political settings.

PEM’s founders acquired their basic professional training and experi¬ence in business consulting in Germany’s dynamic and innovative SMMEs sector in the 70s. They set out to seize the challenging opportunities of international economic co-operation with developing countries.

From its very beginning, PEM recognised the vital role of private entrepreneurial activities for the sustainable development of economies. Consequently the company focused on strengthening its competence in specialised and comprehensive consulting services, technical assistance as well as vocational education and training in the sector of private micro, small and medium enterprises (SMME) in developing countries and countries in transition.

PEM mainly operates in the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Newly Independent States (NIS) -- its major clients being national and international financing institutions and donor agencies, public institutions and private customers. PEM promotes the fair exchange of information, skills, goods and services between business communities of developing and industrialised economies by delivering best practice advice and services to institutions and people engaged in the support and management of private sector development and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises worldwide.