The opening ceremony of the Afghanistan Balkh Women’s Farm Service Center (BWFSC), facilitated by CNFA and the USAID sponsored Afghan Farm Service Alliance (AFSA) program, was held on Monday, January 16, 2012 at the Mazar-E-Sharif farm service center site.    Balkh Women’s Farm Service Center is one of 18 FSCs es­tablished across Afghanistan by CNFA and the Afghan Farm Service Alliance, and only the second specifically female orientated agriculture retail outlet in the whole of Afghani­stan; the first one having been established in Kabul by CNFA in 2010. Establishing a Farm Service Center in Balkh is critical for improving productivity and profitability of regional farmers, herders and producers; particularly the female farmers of the area by increasing their access to high quality improved seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products, livestock medicines, greenhouses and machinery services. Through the provision of extension services, the Balkh WFSC will educate and train Afghan farmers, primarily focusing upon female farmers, which subsequently will result with the increasing of higher quality yields and harvests that will generate greater profits. 

For more information about CNFA's Afghanistan Farm Service Alliance, please click here.  

ACDI/VOCA is planning a "Leverating Agriculture for Nutrition Outcomes" seminar on February 2, 2012, to share information and learn about programs, methodologies, strategies and tools that enhance the development community’s understanding of how to best leverage agricultural interventions for nutrition outcomes. The Keynote Speaker will be Kristin Penn, Technical Advisor at Feed the Future / USAID.

VEGA has released its 2012 report on tourism development. The document details VEGA’s approach to tourism development and discusses its importance to the growing global market. Despite the worldwide recession, tourism is an industry that is experiencing dynamic growth. The Travel and Tourism sector accounts for approximately 9.2 percent of global GDP, 4.8 percent of world exports, and 9.2 percent of world investment from direct and indirect activities combined. In particular, when tourism is implemented in a sustainable manner it can benefit the world’s most vulnerable communities and people in developing and transitional countries.

Best practices for sustainable tourism development include conducting a value-chain analysis, involving the stakeholders at every level, and facilitating public-private alliances. VEGA’s approach to tourism development focuses on these best practices and more.

Read the full report here and find more resources for tourism development here.

The VEGA AGOA+ program was awarded to the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) and its implementing partner the International Executive Service Corps (IESC) on July 25, 2005 under the Leader with Associate Award No. EEM-A-00-04-00002-02, and obligated funding under Associate Cooperative Agreement No. 663-A-00-05-00430-00. This six year program provided export capacity building and trade facilitation assistance until September 30, 2011 with life of program funding totaling $3,424,278 U.S. Dollars (USD).

VEGA AGOA+ was designed on the premise that accelerated export development requires a market linkage approach that identifies the right market opportunities, builds the trade capacity of firms to successfully complete orders and facilitates access to the finance needed to grow and develop new business. Since the beginning, VEGA AGOA+ undertook three primary activities: (1) trade capacity building and export promotion, (2) institutional strengthening for Business Membership Organizations (BMOs) and government agencies and (3) promoting access to finance – first through investment finance from the Diaspora and later loan finance through USAID’s DCA loan guarantee program. Particular focus was placed on support to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), women entrepreneurs and Diaspora investors.

As a result, Ethiopia AGOA/GSP exports have increased from three million USD in the 2005 baseline year to 10.3 million USD in 2010. Based on sales estimates from AGOA trade show orders the total value of AGOA/GSP exports for the last half of 2011 will put Ethiopia at around USD $15 million. Even using more conservative figures for 2011, Ethiopia will have seen an increase of between than 400- 500% from the Program’s inception. Sales directly attributed to AGOA+ grew from a little over a million dollars in 2005 to 5 million USD in 2011, yielding a life of project total of USD $19.07 million. For every dollar spent, the USAID Mission saw $4.57 US in export trade generated from program activities.

VEGA AGOA+ also assisted 1,920 firms with advice, information and technical support, creating 5,668 new job opportunities linked to AGOA-related trade. The Program sponsored 21 different events to bring buyers from the textiles and apparel, leather, and handicrafts from the U.S. to explore market linkages with Ethiopian firms. In addition, 58 firms attended 21 different trade show and other business to business events as a result of program activities. This assistance has translated into 19 million USD in sales under AGOA, directly attributable to the Program.

Over the life of the program, VEGA AGOA+ worked with the Ethiopian Chambers of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ethiopia and other BMOs to increase their ability to provide business services to their members so that they can better take advantage of AGOA trade opportunities. Extensive outreach to each of the city and regional chambers was conducted to provide basic information on AGOA and the market requirements to access the U.S. market. General business service training and IT training was provided to the Chambers of Commerce through VEGA VEs. Over 20% of existing Chambers and BMOs in Ethiopia have benefited from VEGA AGOA+ support.

The program provided USD 158,240 in volunteer donated services as cost share to the program, more than doubling the budgeted amount of USD 76,800. A total of 18 volunteers completed a total of 19 projects. Of the 18 volunteers, six (6) were Ethiopian Diaspora. The majority of the projects provided sector specific training and capacity building assistance. However, additional projects to support the Diaspora Direct Investment (DDI) and Chamber portions of the program were also completed. The volunteer projects were supported by a series of seven short-term technical assistance (STTA) projects, focused in the AGOA+ sectors, customs, investment and Chamber support. Two of the STTA experts were Ethiopian Diaspora. A compilation of the experts and projects can be found in Annex 5.3.

Finally, as a result of DDI activities and DCA loan guarantee, VEGA AGOA+ mobilized nearly USD 6.5 million in private finance through loans extended to 22 women and 36 Diaspora-owned businesses. The latter translated into approximately 1,053 new jobs. In addition, 223 firms received program assistance to improve their management practices through the facility’s proposals review, analysis and commenting process. Further, three trainings and technical assistance to 124 bank personnel was provided by VEGA AGOA+ to introduce new loan assessment techniques so that Diaspora and women entrepreneurs are viewed as distinctive clientele with a unique profile and methodology for underwriting loans.

While the export figures and capacity building indicators are impressive, they do not encompass the full impact of the VEGA AGOA+ Program. The Program has been able to help Ethiopia attract considerable attention to its priority sectors, such as textile and garments, leather and leather products and handicrafts, as well as diversity into new product areas such as honey, spices and other specialty food items. VEGA AGOA+ has also furthered the GOE’s engagement in AGOA export promotions and garnered support from the private sector to brand Ethiopia as “open for business.” These initiatives have significantly contributed to Ethiopia’s ability to attract new investment from the Diaspora and other investors.

Overall, the VEGA AGOA+ program was successful in achieving anticipated goals. The program easily adapted to the needs of the business community in Ethiopia, working in close partnership with the private sector, Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Chamber of Commerce and the Ethiopian Embassy to the United States in Washington D.C. These relationships resulted in a strong alignment between Ethiopia’s most pressing export constraints and VEGA AGOA+ technical interventions in the field.

In sum, the success of the Program can be attributed to VEGA AGOA+ market linkage approach, its collaboration with public/private institutions and donors and the use of VEGA Volunteer Experts. Some of the key recommendations of program staff for future trade development programs include: (1) enlarging USG assistance to domestic-producing firms, (2) targeting new sectors in line with USAID’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative (3) encourage more cost sharing to help build the business services market in Ethiopia, and (4) the importance of continued engagement of Ethiopia’s Diaspora community to tap into the knowledge, experience and networks of individuals with a significant emotional connection to their country’s economic development.

Read FINAL REPORT here…

On December 8, 2011, Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) hosted its Annual Assembly meeting at the Institute of International Education (IIE) – one of the 17 member organizations that comprise VEGA. 

The assembly's guest speaker was Wendy Abt, USAID’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade. In her remarks, Ms. Abt addressed USAID’s reform agenda and its areas of focus, with an emphasis on “Sustainable Economic Growth.” She encouraged NGOs to focus on creating Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in order to achieve sustainable economic growth in communities across the world. Four VEGA members provided comments on Ms. Abt's remarks, drawing on their experience supporting PPAs in various countries.  VEGA’s Annual Assembly meeting concluded by celebrating the International Volunteer Day (IVD) and the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of the Volunteer (IVY+10). In recognition of these events, the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) was pleased to honor three exceptional volunteers for their work in helping improve the lives of those living in developing economies.  For more information about the Awardees please click here.

December 5th was International Volunteer Day (IVD) and 2011 is the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of the Volunteer (IVY+10). In recognition of these events, the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) was pleased to recently honor three exceptional volunteers for their work in helping to improve the lives of those living in developing economies at VEGA's Annual Assembly.  

The recipients of the 2011 VEGA Volunteer Impact Service Award are:

Zahra Radjavi
Zahra works as the Emerging Markets Development Advisor Program (EMDAP) Adviser/Business Development Consultant with Petra National Trust (PNT). PNT, the only non-profit Jordanian organization, is solely focused on the protection preservation and conservation of the archaeological, natural, and cultural heritage of Petra and the Petra Region. Zahra led efforts to create and implement sustainable income streams and endowments for PNT including but not limited to: fundraising, new product/service development, and grant writing. Zahra also worked closely with the Director, Board, and staff to contribute her expertise and experience with global NGO best practices to increase the capacity and efficiency of staff in carry out PNT's mission. Read more about Zahra.

Harold "Hal" Handley
A former Senior Vice President with McCormick & Company with 47 years of experience in food product sales, marketing and production, Hal has worked extensively in emerging economies around the world helping agribusinesses develop strategic plans, consulting on organization structure and evaluating product performance. During a recent project in Sri Lanka, Hal conducted exhaustive background research on the Sri Lankan cinnamon industry, which ultimately allowed him to hit the ground running upon arrival in Colombo. During Hal's in-country market assessment, he realized that the new U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act, signed in to law in January 2011, would have significant ramifications for Sri Lankan cinnamon. Although outside the scope of his project, Hal began a campaign to inform the local stakeholders of this new regulation, of which none of them were aware at the time. He sees the potential for this work to make a significant impact on the Sri Lankan national economy and, thereby, the livelihoods of people throughout the country. Read more about Hal.

Judith Moses
Judith has been involved in several Farmer to Farmer USAID Projects, including Capacity Building with Farmer Cooperative in Dladie, Mali, Feeding and Management of Newborn Sheep and Goats in Bamako, Mali, Improved Small Ruminant Milk Production in Dladie, Mali and the AMHARA Goat and Sheep Assessment in Ethiopia. Read more about Judith.

VEGA, in collaboration with NetImpact, Abt Associates, and More Than Money Careers, has initiated an event series on Impact Capital Investment and its role in international development. The second of this series on Wednesday, December 7th, will discuss “Financial and Social Valuations of Impact Investment Opportunities”. We have an exciting panel ready to confront the successes and lessons learned in this budding niche within the international development. We hereby extend to you our sincere welcome and hope you can join us in moving forward in this exciting area for sustainable partnerships (see information and RSVP below).

RSVP: http://impinvdec7-eorg.eventbrite.com/

WHEN:  Wednesday, December 7, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM 

WHAT:  The DC Net Impact Professional Chapter invites you to a panel discussion that will explore how leading impact investment organizations evaluate investment opportunities with financial and extra-financial return propositions.  This lively discussion will include panelists that represent a diversity of perspectives, ranging from those that require market rate returns to those that prioritize mission-fit over return expectations.  Further, we will explore due diligence methodologies, risk mitigation strategies, and frameworks to evaluate social return on investment.  Panelists will consider what success looks like in this still relatively ambiguous new field.  Further, as a group we will investigate the concrete distinctions in the philosophies of panelists and how these distinctions contribute to the nature of the deals that they choose to pursue. Moderated by John Simon, Founding Partner, Total Impact Advisors & CGD Fellow.

We will be tweeting live from the event to hash tags #DCNI #NetImpact, #ImpInv & #SocEnt. Our Twitter handle is @DC_Net_Impact and we’re providing the handles for each panelist below. Please join us!
Light refreshments will be served.

PANELISTS:

** TBA, Dalberg Global Development Advisors, @DalbergTweet

** Anita Campion, President, AZMJ, @AnitaCampion
 
** Flory Wilson, Director of International Standards, B Lab, @BCorporation, #BCorps & GIIRS, @GIIRSRatings, #GIIRS

** Margot Kane, Investment Officer, Calvert Foundation, @calvert_fdn, @kanefischer

** MODERATOR: Ambassador John Simon, Founding Partner, Total Impact Advisors, @TIAdvisors & CGD Fellow, @CGDev  

WHERE: SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies), Johns Hopkins University, 1619 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Rome Auditorium.

DIRECTIONS: In the spirit of sustainability, we encourage you to use public transport:

METRO – Orange/Blue lines to Farragut West or Red Line to DuPont Circle
If taking public transport is not possible, limited street parking is available nearby.

EVENT FEE:
* Net Impact Paid Members - $10 (+ handling fee of $1.54)
* Non-Members - $20 (+ handling fee of $2.09)

Please pre-register as we are unable to sell tickets at the door at this location.
* SAIS Students - Free with valid SAIS student ID at check-in and pre-registration with a special discount code (contact Meg Dallett at meg.dallett@gmail.com to obtain the code)

Wiley Rein attorney Keith S. Watson was honored for his commitment to pro bono work in Africa at the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) 10th Anniversary Celebration on December 1, 2011, in New York City.

Mr. Watson received recognition in the category of economic development for his integral role supporting and coordinating a Commercial Law Program that provides training and mentoring to attorneys in Africa who have historically had limited experience with commercial law. As a volunteer for ISLP since 2005, Mr. Watson has helped hundreds of lawyers receive business law training in South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Botswana. In addition to his work in Africa, Mr. Watson has led a series of mock negotiation training sessions coordinated by the U.S. Commerce Department for representatives from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and Pakistani Ministry of Trade & Industry.

Those attending the ISLP gala included Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who won the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month; keynote speaker George Soros, founder and chairman of Open Society Foundations; and special guest Matt Damon, co-founder of Water.org. Aric Press, editor-in-chief of American Lawyer Media, served as master of ceremonies. Wiley Rein was represented at the ceremony by Thomas Brunner, former chair of the firm's Insurance Practice and Paul Khoury, chairman of the firm's Pro Bono Committee.

The ISLP is a non-profit organization that provides volunteer partner-level legal services to advance the rule of law, protect human rights and promote equitable economic development worldwide.

Mr. Watson, a member of Wiley Rein's prominent Insurance Practice, has more than 40 years of experience representing private and public entities in federal and state courts and has particular expertise in insurance and environmental matters. He retired as a partner in 2006 but continues to practice as counsel to the firm.

Click here to learn more. 

VEGA is pleased to present the Fall 2011 issue of the News From VEGA Newsletter.

Through the $9.5 million USAID-funded Afghanistan Farm Service Alliance (AFSA), CNFA is laying a strong foundation for long-term agricultural development and increasing rural family incomes by catalyzing the growth of rural Farm Service Centers (FSCs). Learn More.