Rural enterprise extension service

EVALUATION, PREPARED BY A CONTRACTED SOCIOLOGIST AT PFP"S REQUEST. IS BASED ON VISITS TO PROJECT SITES AND INTERVIEWS WITH PFP CONSULANTS AND CLIENTS AND OTHER LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS. PFP IS CURRENTLY CREATING A PILOT PROGRAM IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF BOTSWANA AND IS TRAINING CONSULTANTS FOR MCI"S BUSINESS ADVISORY SERVICE (BAS) FOR THE NORTHERN HALF. REASONABLE PROGRESS IS BEING MADE, DESPITE THE LACK OF AMBITION OF BOTSWANA ENTREPRENEURS, THE SCARCITY AND POOR QUALITY OF CONSULTANTS, AND THE LACK OF GOB POLICY SUPPORT (ALL CONTRARY TO OPG ASSUMPTIONS). OPG BENCHMARKS HAVE PROVEN UNREALISTIC. TO DATE, 225 OF 975 TARGETED CLIENTS AND 17 OF 25-29 CONSULTANTS HAVE RECEIVED TRAINING. IN ADDITION, TRAINING COURSES HAVE BEEN EXTENDED FROM 4 TO 10 WEEKS. BENCHMARKS SHOULD BE REVISED DOWNWARD SO THAT BY 9/81 PFP AND BAS HAVE GRADUATED 20 CONSULTANTS AND 150 OWNER-CLIENTS (WHO SHOULD BE AT LEAST ONE FOURTH OF ALL CLIENTS), AND HAVE EVALUATED, RESPECTIVELY, 25 CURRENT CLIENTS AND 50 GRADUATES, AND 25 CLIENTS AND 25 GRADUATES. ABOVE ALL, EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PLACED ON QUALITY OF IMPACT ON CLIENTS" MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE AND SOCIAL IMPACT, RATHER THAN ON NUMBERS. FOR THE SAME REASON, REVISED MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEMS, SIMPLE AND OBJECTIVE IN NATURE, SHOULD BE DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE BASIC DATA IN THIS AREA. A FIRM AGREEMENT SHOULD BE REACHED WITH GOB TO MERGE PFP BAS WITH MCI"S BAS IN 9/81. MCI SHOULD TAKE THE NECESSARY ADMINISTRATIVE STEPS TO ENSURE A SMOOTH AND EFFECTIVE TRANSITION, PARTICULARLY IN PROVIDING FOR ITS PRESENT SERIOUS MANPOWER SHORTAGE. PFP WILL CONCENTRATE FUTURE USE OF OPG FUNDS FOR ANALYZING ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR THE GOB. USAID SHOULD CONSIDER PROVIDING ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO ASSURE ADEQUATE TRAINING OF PFP CANDIDATES FOR LONG-TERM NEEDS OF THE PROGRAM.