Worldwide—Business Environment Reform Facility (BERF)

Client: U.K. Department for International Development

Duration: 2016-2019

Country: Regional

The U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) leads a growing number of business environment reform programmes around the world to help small firms start, grow, and create jobs in their communities. As DFID expands this work as part of its Business Environment for Economic Development program, it has set up the Business Environment Reform Facility (BERF) to provide its country offices with access to expert advice on program design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

BERF will also help DFID collect and disseminate lessons learned from the programme and other DFID business environment programmes more systematically, carry out policy research, and develop innovative approaches for involving stakeholders in reform programmes.

DAI will work in consortium on the project under KPMG International, along with partners including, Itad, Social Development Direct, Law and Development Partnership, Triple Line, McKinsey, The Policy Practice, Restless Development and a range of academic institutions and independent consultants.

Sample Activities

Provide technical support to DFID country offices in designing, implementing, and reviewing business environment programmes.
Provide technical assistance to DFID development partners on business environment reform issues.
Implement system to collect and disseminate lessons learned from the programme across DFID country offices.
Conduct policy research to improve understanding of how reforms are working.
Develop innovative approaches for involving stakeholders in reform programmes.
Assess and strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems through capacity building.

Afghanistan—Agricultural Credit Enhancement Program I & II (ACE)

For more than 25 years, Afghan farmers did not have access to agricultural credit, seriously constraining the growth of farming. DAI managed a $100 million U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grant to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock to provide credit to farmers, who repay their loans after their harvests.