Technical skills training (trilateral cooperation)

The CB, the Portugese Institute for Economic Cooperation (ICE), and USAID/GB will implement the project"s training, studies, and pilot lending components. The project will provide course instruction, on-the-job training, and participant training promoting institutional capabilities and individual skills. Staff of the CB"s Development and Commercial Department will be trained in project appraisal and banking operations; later, other GOGB ministry staff will receive project appraisal training. Entrepreneurs and mid-level enterprise management personnel will receive training through the CB in financial management/accounting and in business management and marketing. Additionally, the GOGB"s Technical Institute for Professional Training (TIFP) will offer training to entrepreneurial employees in the business operations and accounting, office support, and secretarial skills needed to expand private enterprise. Six CB personnel will receive a total of 18 person-months of training at a development bank in Portugal. Project studies will include surveys of agribusiness opportunities, comparative advantage in agribusiness, private enterprise human resource needs, and approaches to reform of selected private enterprise, as well as 10 feasibility studies of the Agro-Industry Fund included in a proposed follow-on project. Other technical services will cover market identification, policy, etc. Finally, the project will establish a small pilot credit facility to undertake a few private investments and allow the GOGB to test credit terms and criteria for the proposed Agro-Industry Fund. Business appraisal and advisory services will be provided to the CB and to prospective creditor entrepreneurs as an aspect of all project training and technical services. One-year advisors in financial management and in project appraisal will be followed by short-term TA totalling 108 person-months.