Competitiveness and Private Sector Development

closed

The objective of the Competitiveness and Private Sector Development Project for Mozambique is to improve the business environment and enhance enterprise competitiveness in Mozambique by: (a) reducing the cost of doing business in the country; (b) building technical capacity at public sector agencies; and (c) developing region specific interventions in the tourism and horticulture sectors. There are three components to the project. The first component is the improving enterprise competitiveness. This component will enhance the competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and promote broad based growth through the following three sub-components: the first subcomponent is the promoting access to business development services. The second subcomponent is the promoting tourism sector in Inhambane. Finally, the third subcomponent is the establishing a tropical fruits training center in Nampula. The second component is the improving the business enabling environment. This component will support Government of Mozambique (GoM's) effort to improve the business enabling environment. In particular, the component will advance specific reforms based on the business environment strategy, build the capacity of key agencies that can play a catalytic role in improving service provision for exports and strengthen the accounting profession. Finally, the third component is the project management, monitoring, and evaluation. The main technical counterpart for the project is the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC). MIC is the focal point for business policy reforms, has been very active in pursuing the Private Sector Development (PSD) agenda, and has requested the new operation. A project implementation unit (PIU) will be established and would consist of a project coordinator, a procurement specialist, a part-time environmental specialist, a legal consultant, a financial management specialist, and a monitoring and evaluation specialist. The PIU will be located within MIC to promote ownership and would have two mandates: to carry out the project management functions in accordance with International Development Association (IDA) guidelines and to build the capacity of MIC in these areas.