Annual Work Plan: October 2014-September 2015

The overall project objectives include enhancing the trade and transport sector's competitiveness, improving regional value chains, and supporting global value chains. Improving the trade and transport sector's competitiveness is a key objective of the project. Trade and transport indicators, such as trade volumes and transport costs, will be monitored to assess the sector's performance. The project will focus on improving trade and transport strategies, including the development of trade agreements and the improvement of transport infrastructure. Gender considerations will be taken into account in the project's implementation, with a focus on empowering women in the trade and transport sector. The project will also support regional value chains, including the livestock and cereals value chains. Regional value chain indicators, such as production levels and market access, will be monitored to assess the sector's performance. The project will focus on improving regional value chain strategies, including the development of value chain partnerships and the improvement of market information systems. Gender considerations will be taken into account in the project's implementation, with a focus on empowering women in the regional value chains. In addition, the project will support global value chains, including the cashew, shea, apparel, and mango value chains. Global value chain indicators, such as production levels and market access, will be monitored to assess the sector's performance. The project will focus on improving global value chain strategies, including the development of value chain partnerships and the improvement of market information systems. Gender considerations will be taken into account in the project's implementation, with a focus on empowering women in the global value chains. The project will also focus on financial and investment services, including investment pipeline identification, development of partnership agreements with financial partners, and finance access facilitators. The project will aim to improve the investment climate in Ghana and increase access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises. The project will be implemented over a period of 12 months, from October 2014 to September 2015. The project will be implemented by a team of experts from Abt Associates Inc., Banyan Global, Kanava International, J.E. Austin, and SSG Advisors. The project will be monitored and evaluated regularly to ensure that it is meeting its objectives and making progress towards its goals.