Based in the United States, AFE is a non-profit organization that focuses on small business development. Since its establishment in 1991, AFE has developed training programs, implemented field programs, authored numerous publications, and provided technical support to programs worldwide. As both an implementer of field programs and an advisor to other organizations AFE:

• Provides analyses of value chains and the interrelationships of enterprises that function therein;
• Designs interventions based on the latest principles of competitiveness and private sector development;
• Facilitates market linkages between buyers and sellers;
• Facilitates the development of sustainable trade and business associations;
• Builds the capacity of local enterprise development organizations;
• Designs and manages private sector development programs; and
• Develops and documents its methodology and shares it with others to promote improved private sector development practices worldwide.