USAID Kuza Y4Q3 REPORT Final

The activity aims to develop and support economic opportunities in ten arid and semi-arid counties of northern Kenya, including Garissa, Isiolo, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, West, and West Garissa. The USAID Kuza activity works to improve the enabling environment for economic opportunities, accelerate public-private investment, build county-level capacity to build resilience, foster self-reliance, and reduce the need for humanitarian assistance. The activity is implemented by ACDI/VOCA, in close collaboration with the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC). Key objectives of the USAID Kuza activity include improving the enabling environment for economic opportunities, strengthening the institutional and governance capacity of county-level governments and NGOs to support expanded economic opportunities, developing extensive and robust private sector partnerships to expand investment, and advancing progress and accelerate progress by integrating monitoring, evaluation, and shared learning. Implementation of the activity focuses on the county level, with a focus on improving the enabling environment for economic opportunities, including for women and youth. The activity also aims to strengthen the institutional and governance capacity of county-level governments and NGOs to support expanded economic opportunities. The USAID Kuza activity has made significant progress in its first year, with notable achievements including the establishment of a County Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System (CIMES) in all ten counties, the development of a Performance Management Plan (PMP) to track progress and identify areas for improvement, and the launch of a Learning, Evaluating, Adapting Platform (LEAP) to facilitate shared learning and collaboration among stakeholders. In terms of specific indicators, the activity has made progress in improving the enabling environment for economic opportunities, with notable achievements including the establishment of a County Executive Committee (CEC) in all ten counties, the development of a Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) framework to facilitate investment, and the launch of a Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development program to support entrepreneurship and job creation. The activity has also made progress in strengthening the institutional and governance capacity of county-level governments and NGOs, with notable achievements including the establishment of a County Integrated Planning and Budgeting System (CIPBS) in all ten counties, the development of a Disaster Risk Management (DRM) plan to mitigate the impact of drought and other disasters, and the launch of a Resilience Learning Activity (RLA) to support county-level governments and NGOs in building resilience. In terms of private sector partnerships, the activity has made progress in developing extensive and robust partnerships to expand investment, with notable achievements including the establishment of a Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) framework to facilitate investment, the launch of a Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development program to support entrepreneurship and job creation, and the development of a Private Sector Investment Plan (PSI) to guide investment in key sectors. Finally, the activity has made progress in advancing progress and accelerate progress by integrating monitoring, evaluation, and shared learning, with notable achievements including the establishment of a Learning, Evaluating, Adapting Platform (LEAP) to facilitate shared learning and collaboration among stakeholders, the development of a Performance Management Plan (PMP) to track progress and identify areas for improvement, and the launch of a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system to track progress and identify areas for improvement. Overall, the USAID Kuza activity has made significant progress in its first year, with notable achievements in improving the enabling environment for economic opportunities, strengthening the institutional and governance capacity of county-level governments and NGOs, developing extensive and robust private sector partnerships, and advancing progress and accelerate progress by integrating monitoring, evaluation, and shared learning.