Enterprise Challenge Fund

October 2013 Canberra Lessons Learned Workshop

To mark the ECF program closure in October 2013, two workshops were held to bring together donor agencies, private-sector participants and informed experts to examine the lessons of this and other programs, to inform the next stage of private-sector development programs. In Canberra, the workshop focused on sharing lessons to inform the Australian Aid Program in light of four framing questions:

1. Do enterprise challenge funds work?

2. Can they operate at scale to make real difference to people in poverty?

3. How should they be set up and managed to achieve their goals?

4. What alternatives are there for partnering with the private-sector for development?

A summary of the day is available here.

For more information on presentations - download a copy of the overview presentation here.
Download a copy of the Independent Review Team’s presentation and the Fund Directors presentation on lessons learned here.

October 2013 Regional Lessons Learned Workshop, Phnom Penh

A final workshop for the Enterprise Challenge Fund was held on 18^th October 2013 in Phnom Penh. Cambodia. The workshop disseminated lessons learned from the program to conclude a pilot program that represents the Australian Government’s first participation in this modality of enterprise development.

The workshop was held over the morning of Friday 18th October from 8am – 1pm and included an official welcome by Mr Paul Keogh, DFAT counsellor; an overview of results by Amanda Jupp, ECF program manager and followed with three panel sessions covering key lessons, case studies from three of the funded projects and the a discussion around the relevance of the challenge fund approach compared with alternative approaches.

Download a copy of the overview presentation here.
Download a copy of the Independent Review Team’s presentation and the Fund Directors presentation on lessons learned here.
Download a copy of the media release from 18th October here.

September 2013 Sarami Workshop in Solomon Islands

Following on the success of the dissemination workshop for the Sarami cattle project in Fiji, a second workshop was held on 11th September in Honiara, Solomon Islands as a way to support the Government of Solomon Islands in looking at potential cattle improvement programs.

Mr Peter Colmar from Sarami Plantation presented on the company and his approach to cattle improvement. Mr Jon Marlow from ProAnd Associates presented on the findings from the independent review commissioned by the ECF. Both parties also met with beef industry representatives from the private sector, donors and the Government of Solomon Islands over the following days in Honiara.

Download a copy of the presentation here.

Download a copy of the research summmary here.

July 2013 National Dialogue:The Role of the Private Sector in Development and Aid for Trade

The dialogue brought together representatives from the private sector, universities, non-governmental organisations and government – state and federal – to discuss a range of issues and challenges related to private sector involvement in sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation.

Keynote addresses were by Senator Penny Wong, the Hon. Julie Bishop MP. and Peter Baxter (Director General of AusAID).

For more information see the International Institute of Trade website.

The Enterprise Challenge Fund Fund Director presented on the Lessons from the Pacific projects in the ECF in Aid for Trade including lessons working in the tourism sector with Carnival Australia, fishing with Didao in Solomon Islands and in the beef cattle industry with Sarami Plantation.

Download the ECF presentation here.

June 2013 Pacific PNG Update at Australian National University

In late June, the Australian National University's Development Policy Centre hosted the 2013 Pacific and PNG Update to provide a forum for discussion of the latest economic, social and political developments in region. The Update was hosted by the Development Policy Centre, and supported by: the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Economic Management Technical Assistance Project; and the Asia and Pacific Policy Studies, the flagship publication of the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU in partnership with Australian Aid, AusAID. For more information see the Development Policy Centre website.

The Enterprise Challenge Fund project manager presented on the first day at a panel on Women’s economic empowerment: Pacific lessons from the Enterprise Challenge Fund. The panel covered perspectives on the status of women in the Pacific and looked at programs by AusAID, the Asian Development Bank and the Enterprise Challenge Fund.

See the presentation here

Download the ECF presentation here.

June 2013 Sarami Workshop in Fiji

The Sarami cattle project in Vanuatu was funded by the ECF on the basis of its expected flow on benefits to small holder suppliers and its value as a model for part replication in other Pacific countries.

The initial priority market for replication was Fiji. This country has a relatively undeveloped beef cattle industry but has a sizable local market that is supplied predominately by imports.

Two workshops were planned and an industry contact program in both Suva and Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu, where there are a number of cattle farmers and the conditions are conducive for expansion.

The workshops were facilitated by the new Fiji Crop and Livestock Council (FCLC) and the team was involved in the follow up activities. The FCLC has an important part in the future development of the cattle industry in Fiji.

Mr Peter Colmar from Sarami Plantation presented on the company and his approach to cattle improvement in Vanuatu. Mr Jon Marlow from ProAnd Associates presented on the findings from the independent review commissioned by the ECF. Both parties also met with beef industry parties over the following days across Fiji.

Download a copy of the presentation here.

Download a copy of the research summmary here.

June 2013 The Study Research on the Impact of Clients' value of MEADA Program in Cambodia

On 6th June, the Executive Board of MEADA Rabrong organised a workshop in Phnom Penh for microfinance institutes and other organisations working in microinsurance in Cambodia. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Enterprise Challenge Fund and key speakers from SAMIC Microfinance and the international Microinsurance Centre participated.

The workshop provided information from the MEADA Rabrong program - a company supported by the Enterprise Challenge Fund to pilot insurance products designed for microfinance clients and research conducted by the Microinsurance Learning and Knowledege Centre on how clients benefit from the insurance.

The workshop was formally opened by Madam Sous Man, Chairman of MEADA Rabrong.

• SAMIC President Mr King Kip Kalyan presented on why SAMIC was interested in designing insurance products, how MEADA was formed and why microfinance institutes and microinsurance work together
• MEADA Executive Director, Mr Khem Sary presented on the insurance products, the progress and what challenges they have faced and learned from
• Microinsurance Centre researcher, Ms Taara Chandard outlined the research conducted in December from fieldwork in Cambodia as well as steps that MEADA have taken to enhance their client education program.

Following the presentations, a group discussion was held to examine the benefits and challenges of three areas of microinsurance.

October 2012 WING Cambodia speaks at the Engaging Business in Development forum at the Development Policy Centre

In Cambodia, more rural people own a mobile phone than have access to the formal financial system. Using a grant of $1.5 million dollars from the Australian Government’s Enterprise Challenge Fund and $11 million dollars from ANZ Bank, WING was developed as a mobile phone payment service that allows customers who previously had little or no access to bank accounts to transfer, store and cash-out their money using a mobile phone. Services like this have a massive impact on the lives of poor people in many countries.

WING Cambodia Chief Operating Officer Anthony Perkins and Merchant Sales Manager Viseth Thiev spoke at the Engaging Business in Development forum on how challenge funds can support inclusive busienss. View a copy of the presentation here.

"Banking in rural areas of Cambodia is very limited. We knew the technology (WING) would work in rural areas and through new and innovative ways of using the service, WING has had a massive impact" stated Anthony Perkins. Viseth Thiev has managed the rural outreach of WING through network of merchants.

"ECF provided funding for the financial literacy to know how to manage cash and understand how WING works", WING has grown month on month since the beginning and much of this growth is due to transactions with rural areas of Cambodia.

The forum brings together speakers from international businesses, non-government organisations, social enterprises, health and agricultural research enterprises, and international aid agencies.

For more information on the forum, please see www.crawford.edu.au.

August 2012 Australasian Evaluation Society - Designing a Results Based Management Approach with the Private Sector

June 2012 Seminar Series on Measuring Results in Challenge Funds

ECF presents at the Seminar Series on Achieving and Measuring Results in the Hague, Netherlands on 15th June 2012.

The Director General for International Cooperation (DGIS) in partnership with LEI – part of Wageningen University established a seminar series to help organisations improve their approach to monitoring and evaluation. The series targets actors in private sector development (including the PSD platform and food security) and develops content based on needs and interests from the field.

The Enterprise Challenge Fund team was asked to present at the third of the series focused on Challenge Funds in the Hague, Netherlands. Presentations were also held by Mark Thomas (Nathan and Associates) from the Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund and by David Smith (Triple Line) from African Enterprise Challenge Fund.

Download the ECF presentation here.

For more information on the seminar series see www.impactmeasurement.eu or download the report from Seminar III.

January 2012 Using the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) Standard for results measurement in the Enterprise Challenge Fund

The Enterprise Challenge Fund for Pacific and South East Asia is a A$20.5 million AusAID-led Australian Government initiative providing a competitive opportunity for businesses to obtain grants to assist in commercialising business projects in ECF participating countries. Between 2007-2009, the ECF approved grant funds for 22 business projects. In November 2010, the Fund Manager with support from AusAID took steps to adapt the results measurement system to be compliant with the DCED Standard for Results Measurement.

The presentation outlines the rationale for using the DCED Standard as a benchmark for the ECF, the process undertaken to implement and using an ECF-funded project, WING Cambodia mobile payment platform – looks at how the results have been collected and measured. ECF is also the first challenge fund to undertake a mock audit against the Standard in August 2011 with positive results and lessons for adapting projects to the Standard.Download a copy of the presentation here.

For more information on the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development, please see www.enterprise-development.org

November 2011 Fund Director presents to Carnival Cruise ship passengers

The ECF Fund Director presented on the results of the ECF programs in the Pacific with a focus on the work in Vanuatu through partner Carnival Australia with cruise ship passengers in November 2011.

August 2011 Australia Pacific Islands Business Council presentation

The ECF Fund Director is presenting on the ECF funded projects to the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council in Sydney during the executive committee meeting on 18th August 2011.

The council supports builing stronger business relationships between Australia and the Pacific. For more information on the council, please see www.apibc.org.au

December 2011 M4P Hub Conference Proceedings Series: Achieving Systemic Change - Challenges and Lessons from AusAID’s Enterprise Challenge Fund (ECF)

Alwyn Chilver sheds light on the progress to date of AusAID’s Enterprise Challenge Fund, which aims to encourage systemic change in markets through providing a competitive grant facility to private enterprise in the Asia-Pacific region.

Included here are the key take-aways from Alwyn’s presentation.

February 2011 Cambodia grantee workshop held in Phnom Penh

ECF Cambodia grantees met in Phnom Penh to discuss their progress to date and experiences with ECF.

The meeting was held jointly with AusAID post in Cambodia and Coffey International Development Phnom Penh office.

June 2010 Pacific Island Private Sector Organisation Conference

The ECF Fund Director presents ECF funded projects at PIPSO Conference in Fiji from the 23rd to 25th June 2010. The presentation focused on the newly funded Pacific Islands projects including outlining the projects and expected benefits.

Download a copy of the presentation here.

For more information on the council, please see www.pipso.org

December 2009 Trade and Investment in the Pacific - Engaging the Private Sector presentation at Institute of International Trade, Adelaide

ECF presents to Pacific Closer Economic Relations (PACER) trade delegates on the successful ECF Pacific partnerships and how innovative projects can support the enabling environment. See a copy of the presentation here.

See more on PACER here.