USAID Zambia Enterprise Development and Growth Enhanced (EDGE) Activity Quarterly Report

The program aims to create jobs and increase profitability of agricultural Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia. To achieve this goal, EDGE works to improve SMEs' competitiveness and access to finance. The program focuses on two main objectives: Objective 1, Increased access to finance for agricultural SMEs, and Objective 2, Increased competitiveness for SMEs' products. To strengthen the ability of banks and microfinance institutions to serve SMEs, EDGE works to build the capacity of financial service providers to introduce new financial products that enable them to develop tailored loan and investment products to cover the entire range of SME financial needs. To increase the competitiveness of SMEs' products, EDGE works to strengthen SME management and marketing capacity and improve network input/output relationships. Through a business advisor network, EDGE supports agricultural SMEs to reduce costs and increase efficiency by strengthening managerial capacity and improving their ability to seek and qualify for loans. EDGE also prioritizes Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion (GYSI) throughout project interventions and facilitates targeted empowerment activities as needed. The program has identified and prioritized key gender- and age-related obstacles and actions, including facilitating capacity building and technical assistance for women and youth SMEs and FSPs. To track performance, EDGE uses a set of 17 indicators with quarterly and annual targets. As of the end of Quarter 3, FY2023, the program has achieved significant progress in several areas. The value of annual profits of producers and firms receiving United States Government (USG) assistance has not yet been measured, as this indicator will be measured during the Mid-term Evaluation (MTE) at the end of FY2023. However, EDGE has made notable progress in increasing access to finance for agricultural SMEs. The value of agriculture-related financing accessed as a result of USG assistance has reached 13.54% of the target, with a total of 105 participating SMEs benefiting from financial services provided through financial intermediaries. In terms of increasing competitiveness for SMEs' products, EDGE has strengthened SMEs' management and marketing capacity. The number of firms receiving USG-funded technical assistance for improving business performance has reached 311, representing 69.11% of the target. Additionally, the number of individuals who have received USG-supported agricultural sector productivity or food security training has reached 845, representing 62.60% of the target. Overall, EDGE has made significant progress in achieving its objectives and has demonstrated a commitment to empowering women and youth through targeted empowerment activities.