USAID Evaluation Looks at Project to Expand Financing of Small and Medium Enterprises in Rwanda
A project designed to crowd-in finance (debt and equity) for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Rwanda is the focus of an ME&A-led mid-term performance evaluation under the Feed the Future Global Program Evaluation for Effectiveness and Learning (PEEL) project.
The project being evaluated, Rwanda Nguriza Nshore, is a five-year, $14.9 million program funded by Feed the Future through USAID that drives SME growth to create non-farm jobs. By alleviating constraints to investment and increasing access to finance, Nguriza Nshore seeks to use SMEs as an entry point for widespread economic growth and social development, increasing productive non-farm employment for rural populations, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs, and reducing poverty throughout the country.
The purpose of the mid-term performance evaluation is to assess progress made to date in expanding the capacity of financial institutions to lend to SMEs, increasing private and commercial investment in SMEs, and strengthening the enabling environment for the expansion of SME agribusinesses and support firms. The evaluation also involves assessing the accuracy of the Nguriza Nshore employment multiplier model and assisting USAID design future access-to-finance activities.
PEEL supports USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative through population-based surveys, performance and impact evaluations, and other evaluative studies. Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. PEEL’s services allow USAID to better understand how Feed The Future activities are being implemented, how well they are performing, and how they are perceived by beneficiaries. USAID awarded the PEEL task order to ME&A in 2016 under the Policy, Planning and Learning-Learning, Evaluation and Research (PPL-LER) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract providing evaluation, monitoring, and assessment services for USAID Missions and Offices worldwide.