Advice on state ownership of companies

Context

Well-managed state-owned companies are important for a country to be efficient. In the course of German reunification, Germany has gained experience in managing state participations and privatising state-owned companies. This enables it to support partner countries in development cooperation. In these countries, state institutions often lack the skills to manage investments in accordance with international standards.

Objective

National partner institutions can manage state-owned companies effectively.

Approach

Among other things, the project advises the public partner institutions on how to effectively manage investments, train supervisory board members, restructure, privatise and evaluate companies, manage real estate and enter into public-private partnerships.

German consulting principles include national regulations such as the German Federal Budget Code and the principles of good corporate and active participation management of the Federal Government. The project also takes international standards into account. These include the principles of corporate governance laid down by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Group of Twenty (G20) for corporate governance, and the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises.

The project also utilises synergies with other projects of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, which have a municipal or regional focus.

Last update: November 2023