Karimjonova Madinabonu Obidjon qizi,
PhD student, Department of Green Economy and Sustainable Business,
Namangan State University, Namangan, Uzbekistan.
E-mail: madinabonu1106@gmail.com.
ORCID: 0009-0001-5495-4534
Abstract. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of developing-economy exports, yet remain structurally more vulnerable to globalization shocks. Their limited share in direct exports stems not from a lack of production capacity but from structural barriers — high market-entry costs, information asymmetry, restricted access to finance, and weak institutional support. Using Uzbekistan (2020-2025) as a case, this article examines how digital capacity and public-private partnership (PPP) jointly sustain SMEs’ foreign economic activity. The study applies a descriptive-analytical and comparative-institutional method, drawing on official data from the State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan and analytical reports of the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the OECD. The findings show that between 2020 and 2025 the SME share in total exports rose from 13 to 21 percent, digital platform adoption increased from 18 to 45 percent, and the number of active PPP programs more than doubled over the same period. At the same time, the analysis confirms that digitalization alone is insufficient: survey data indicate that 33 percent of SMEs identify a lack of skills and human capital as the primary barrier to digital foreign trade. Four international PPP models — cluster export consortia, digital trade facilitation, innovation and technology adoption support, and export finance platforms — are compared, and their respective effects on export growth are assessed. Based on these findings, four policy recommendations are proposed for Uzbekistan: investing in SME digital skills programs, establishing a national SME Digital Export Readiness Program, developing sector-specific export consortia, and negotiating mutual recognition of digital trade documents with key trading partners. The article concludes that digital capacity and PPP are not competing but complementary priorities, and their coordinated development is the key to sustaining SMEs’ long-term international competitiveness.
Keywords: SMEs, foreign economic activity, digital capacity, public-private partnership, sustainable internationalization, export promotion.
Skip to PDF content