Beyond access to finance: helping women-led businesses grow through financial literacy and market connections

A larger order does not always mean a better business. For a small enterprise in Hue, accepting a new order may require purchasing more raw materials, paying farmers upfront and waiting longer for customers to pay. Even when financing is available, growing sales can put pressure on cash flow and profitability. This is why access to finance needs to go hand in hand with sound financial management and reliable market opportunities. On 23 October 2026, the Finance for resilience project brought together local enterprises, cooperatives and specialists in domestic and international market development to explore how financial literacy and stronger market connections can support sustainable business growth.

From natural grass handicrafts and bamboo products to medicinal plants, essential oils and processed agri-foods, participating enterprises demonstrated Hue's potential to create value from its natural resources and traditional knowledge. Many are led by women who are developing businesses, creating employment and connecting local producers with higher-value markets.

Yet the potential impact extends well beyond these enterprises. Behind many of their products are farming families and artisans whose livelihoods depend on reliable demand for local raw materials, including medicinal plants, aromatic herbs, bamboo and natural fibres. When businesses secure sustainable markets and build fair, lasting relationships with suppliers, growth can translate into more stable income and opportunities for the communities involved.

Moving beyond conventional classroom training, the workshop focused on everyday business decisions : How can enterprises price their products profitably? Can they afford larger orders? What financing would they need to expand production or reach new markets? And how can digital commerce and business partnerships help them connect with local and international customers? Product showcases and direct exchanges with domestic and international market specialists also provided opportunities to explore new commercial relationships.

Reflecting the Finance for resilience project's Market Systems Development approach, financial literacy and market linkages complement access to finance, enabling enterprises, particularly women-led businesses, to make informed decisions, pursue new opportunities and use financing more effectively. By strengthening relationships from producers to consumers, the initiative aims to support business growth that creates lasting value throughout local supply chains and continues beyond project support.

The Finance for resilience project is funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.