USAID economic competitiveness project (ECO) : final performance evaluation

Measurements were carried out to determine the level of sales and job generation, the capacity of private and public organizations to assist MSMEs, USAID’s contribution to improving the business climate, and if ECO’s theory of change was still valid. The purpose of ECO—a $47.8 million project—is to increase the competitiveness of El Salvador’s key economic sectors by strengthening the capacity of MSMEs to compete in domestic and export markets and improving the business environment to encourage private sector investment, innovation, and business expansion. This fostered economic growth and job creation. During its seven years of implementation, the ECO Project was challenged by drastic changes in management, budget, initiatives, and constant transformations. Despite all these challenges, the ECO team had the capacity to adapt and develop new action plans and continued working toward achieving the expected overall results. The project contributed to improving the conditions and performance of the MSMEs, leading to significant growth in domestic sales, that resulted in the creation of a substantial number of new jobs. Meanwhile, limited exports had very modest growth. The labor migration program (H-2 Visa) has been a significant source of temporary job opportunities in the United States. This project had varied results in different municipalities, as well as government institutions that have excelled in streamlining and improving services for the private sector.