The main fields of activity are fostering skills development, small and medium enterprises, financial services and resource efficiency.
The first initiative came from Anne-Marie Im Hof-Piguet (1916-2010), who was of the opinion "that because of its wealth and as country without a colonial past, Switzerland should play an important role in development aid".
This was followed in the 1980s by the launch of schemes aimed at promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), after graduates from the vocational training colleges had said that there was an urgent need for expert advice when setting up businesses.
Two important partners of Swisscontact are the governmental organisations Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
An innovative private sector strengthens structurally weak regions and enables disadvantaged groups to become active market participators.
[3][6] Swisscontact supports practical vocational training by: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the largest employers in developing countries as well.
[11] Swisscontact is working for an economically, socially and ecologically sustainable development and is considering the responsible use of natural resources a prerequisite to achieve this.
The organisations believes that services related to climate protection and associated technologies represent a growth market and will in future be able to provide people with jobs and income in developing countries as well.
Its members are supporting SMEs in developing and transition countries in solving technical and operational problems on a voluntary basis.