Private sector development covers a range of activities and focuses on supporting small-scale enterprises, co-operatives and individual producers through services such as business management, credit programmes and marketing chains. It also supports the marketing and educational aspects of traditional and cultural arts such as, textiles, wood carvings, pottery and canvas art.

Private sector development is closely linked to the other two focus areas of NSD; Skills and Vocational training and Business Management training. These activities are often interrelated. The strength of NSD is to link these activities and to gear the various (interrelated) aspects to one another.

It is our aim to participate in building an environment where small to medium sized business enterprises can prosper. Encouraging and promoting greater business knowledge, local ownership and autonomy of businesses, employment opportunities for local labor markets and stable environments where infrastructure exists for businesses to operate. For example, NSD supports the sustainable management of traditional textile weaving. In many cases, communities are able to generate a considerable income from sustainable managed small scale businesses through the sale of certified textile products. NSD can support these communities by providing business management training, micro finance facilities, marketing their (textile) products and can also assist it in finding new sources of income and developing new (related) businesses.