Aid and Assistance framed as Sustainable Enterprise Development: Supporting Innovation in the Global South

As an extension of foreign aid and assistance objectives, the notion of sustainability has emerged as a desirable component of the design of aid initiatives. In this way, foreign aid programmes are becoming increasingly framed with an emphasis upon the long-term benefits of removing barriers to opportunity coupled with enabling sustainable change. This article examines and evaluates opportunities for supporting business and foster sustainability, in particular strategies devised to use foreign aid and assistance to support local enterprise, encourage sustainable business and develop appropriate innovation practices in the Global South. This is a particularly pressing and timely issue as major economies, including the UK, France and Germany, are cutting foreign aid, while committed to an agenda focusing on global sustainable business as an international development strategy.