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Senior Expert Contact

Promoting entrepreneurship through expertise – passing on technical skills through hands-on volunteer work.  Senior Expert Contact (SEC) experts provide direct and uncomplicated support to companies and institutions who aim to grow.
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Swisscontact Benin
6.3558488
2.3979877
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swisscontact peru
-12.107061
-77.03224689999999
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swisscontact nicaragua
12.126757
-86.25812529999999
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swisscontact nepal
27.6870248
85.31423079999999
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swisscontact laos
17.9575397
102.6318804
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swisscontact kosovo
41.3310337
19.8078796
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swisscontact Bolivia
-16.5097753
-68.1310622
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Swisscontact cambodia
11.5437912
104.9215138
Benin, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kosovo, Laos, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru
Project website

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The project

By undertaking volunteer assignments, Senior Expert Contact (SEC) experts pass on specialist knowledge exactly where it is needed. In this way, the benefits of professional support are accessible to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and institutions in developing countries and Eastern Europe.

An SEC expert can be requested by an SME, training centre or other institution, which requires professional expertise to solve an operational challenge but which couldn’t afford this advice at market prices.

Results

Each year, around 140 SMEs and institutions benefit from expert consultancy assignments. 
Today, more than 700 mainly retired technical experts, ranging from craftspeople to hotel managers to marketing specialists, share their expertise and valuable professional experience. 
Since 1979, SEC has carried out over 3,000 assignments, with experts having provided roughly 1,200,000 hours of voluntary work. This is equal to an estimated 45 million Swiss francs.

SEC assignments result in:

  • Improvements in product quality
  • More efficient workflows
  • Improved working conditions
  • Higher competitiveness in the local market
  • Job creation
  • Poverty reduction

Financing partners

This project is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA. 

Project links

News

View all news from SEC
Cambodia
04.10.2022
Supporting a Cambodian social enterprise to improve production efficiency and boost marketing performance
Norm Bunnak, a female entrepreneur in the handicrafts sector and CEO of Villageworks Cambodia, invited SEC expert Markus Goeldi to Cambodia to advise her company. She speaks about the lessons learned and the benefits to her enterprise during their two-month long collaboration.
Learn more
Nepal
Sustainable agriculture, Initial vocational education and training, Labour market insertion, Entrepreneurial ecosystems
08.03.2022
Empowering Women: Step by Step
As we mark the International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, we focus on celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. This year, IWD’s slogan is #BreakTheBias, bringing into light the importance of raising awareness against all biases and taking actions for equality.
Learn more
Bolivia
Entrepreneurial ecosystems
12.01.2022
Bolivia's entrepreneurial ecosystem benefits from Swiss expert advice
Bolivia's entrepreneurial ecosystem reflects that business creation remains dynamic despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Figures show that 9020 new businesses were created in 2020, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2019. These companies are an important source of employment generation in the country and strengthen the entrepreneurial and business ecosystem. However, they face challenges in becoming financially sustainable. This is where access to mentoring comes in as a valuable source of support to future growth. 
Learn more