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IRG Wins USAID Economic Growth Project in Senegal:
Seed to Supermarket Approach
Washington, DC- December 19, 2005 - International Resources Group (IRG) today announced that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has selected the company to help accelerate economic growth and increase both competitiveness and trade in Senegal. The five-year program includes business development services to promote increased trade and export competitiveness, especially as it relates to the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), public-private partnerships that attract private investment for efficient delivery of public goods or services, public policy reforms to improve Senegal's business environment, and support democratic and economic reforms already undertaken by the Government of Senegal.
"IRG is pleased to support USAID in assisting the people of Senegal as it open its doors to a new way of doing business and firmly establishes the means for trade and investment to continue to pass through those doors," said Asif M. Shaikh, International Resources Group President and CEO. "We are particularly pleased to further the dialogue already launched and led by the US Embassy and USAID/Senegal Mission through the donors' Private Sector Working Group in Dakar.
"Our state-of-the art business development services model, integrated with public-private partnership, policy and components, will drive wealth creation - from seed to supermarket - across local, regional, and national market chains."
For more than 25 years, IRG has seamlessly integrated economic, technical, organizational and social factors to promote and advance economic growth, Shaikh noted. IRG's landmark work has led to $1 billion of private investment in Uzbekistan, restructuring of the largest public enterprise in Egypt , and in Senegal, the establishment of new domestic and international markets for small and medium enterprises.
"IRG is a premier provider of practical, real world solutions that advance economic growth. We are pleased to be given this opportunity. With our team of experienced and highly-trained experts and US and Senegalese partners, we will help Senegal strengthen its economic infrastructure and capabilities," he added.
IRG's current work in Senegal has focused on developing and marketing non-traditional agricultural products. To date, IRG guidance has helped increase revenues and volumes of products for over 3,200 enterprises in a range of market chains. Training for 1,400 producer groups is underway that will enable them to form competitive enterprises with possibilities for national and even export market potential. Some 275 joint ventures with newly trained entrepreneurs and primary market buyers are in the planning stages.
IRG is an international professional services firm that helps governments, the private sector, communities, and households manage critical resources to build a safer and more prosperous world. Since its inception in 1978, IRG has completed over 700 contracts in 135 countries, delivering high-quality, cost-effective services that promote positive economic growth, institutional and social change, and intelligent use of resources - human, physical, environmental, and financial.
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IRG contact:
Joan Ablett
jablett@irgltd.com
Tel: 202-289-0100
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