Economic Growth & Governance Initiative Year 3 Workplan

EGGI's vision is to enhance GIRoA's capacity to develop and sustain a market environment that supports responsible economic management and fiscal sustainability in the lead up to the 2014 transition. EGGI's efforts focus on several core aspects of public financial management, including fiscal management and revenue generation. The project delivers key policy support to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) decision makers in topics of fiscal management and revenue generation. Distinct workstreams within the project execute and help lead key reforms in program budgeting, provincial budgeting, and tax administration. To achieve these results, EGGI deploys professional technical advisors to work in partnership with many of the key economic and fiscal policy-making institutions throughout GIRoA. In Year 3, EGGI will deliver technical support focused on fiscal sustainability and public financial management. The project activities tie directly to the Intermediate Results (IRs) that support Activity Objective (AO) 4: A developed business climate that enables private investment, job creation, and financial independence. EGGI's technical assistance focused on economic policy ties most directly to IR 4.1: Effective fiscal and monetary policy implemented, and the corresponding Sub-IR, 4.1.1: Afghan government has increased capacity to conduct public financial management strengthened in accordance with international standards. EGGI's programming is consistent with USAID/USG strategic objectives in Afghanistan, which seek to advance Afghanistan's transition to a more stable and productive state through the promotion of effective economic policy and decision making. The Year 3 Workplan addresses the requirements stated in the Task Order, with a focus on strengthening the GIRoA's capacity to develop and implement economic and regulatory policy and improve the enabling environment for the private sector to flourish. EGGI will deliver technical support focused on fiscal sustainability and public financial management, with a focus on program budgeting, provincial budgeting, and tax administration. The project will also continue to work with provincial officials to roll out key workstream activities to all provinces of Afghanistan. Women's empowerment is also a key focus for EGGI in Year 3, as it is strongly tied to the achievement of U.S. Government (USG) objectives in Afghanistan. EGGI aims to double the size of the Women in Government internship program by offering 60 internship positions over the course of the year, with a goal to graduate 70 interns by the end of Year 3 and maintain an 85% job placement rate following graduation from the program. EGGI's advisors will work directly with GIRoA counterparts to achieve the following results in Year 3, broken down by associated workstream: Economic / Fiscal Policy Support, Revenue / Tax Policy Support, and Revenue Reconciliation Database (RRD) Web-based system. The project will also continue to work on Provincial Budgeting Reform, Provincial Tax Administration, and Program Budgeting Reform.