December 7, 2007

ACDI/VOCA Conducts USAID Value Chain Workshop in Egypt

ACDI/VOCA, in collaboration with USAID and QED Group, organized and conducted a value chain workshop in Cairo, Egypt, December 3-6, 2007. The workshop was the third in a series of regional value chain workshops that brought together USAID mission staff and implementing partners to share their experiences, good practices and approaches to value chain projects. Unique to this workshop, facilitators addressed specific issues that arise from operating in conflict-affected environments and the particular challenges of reaching the very poor.

The workshop was part of ACDI/VOCA's $10 million Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project Business Development Services (AMAP BDS) Knowledge and Practice II Task Order. Forty-five participants from 13 countries—Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Burundi, Lebanon, Liberia, Morocco, Sierra Leone, West Bank, United States and the United Kingdom—attended. Participants were implementers of value chain projects or development professionals interested in the value chain methodology and tools and their applications in the field. Over the course of three and a half days, participants discussed key concepts, tools and guidelines for value chain development, including strategies for addressing bottlenecks, promoting private-sector ownership of the competitiveness process and catalyzing improved performance.

ACDI/VOCA is a leader in value chain approaches to development and helps to increase incomes in poor communities and promote economic growth by enhancing performance and thereby competitiveness of micro and small enterprises. Read more about ACDI/VOCA’s value chain approach.