Middle East and North Africa
Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Project (EDIP)
Client: United States Agency for International Development
|
2008-2011, SEGIR GBTI II |
The West Bank and Gaza faced the challenge of creating around 500,000 jobs in five years to accomodate the unemployed and new entrants to the labor market. In addressing this mission, CARANA implemented the EDIP project to develop those Palestinian sectors with the most potential for rapid economic growth and employment: agribusiness, specialty foods, tourism, ICT, and stone and marble.
EDIP created partnerships with successful Palestinian businesses to accelerate business growth through access to technology, markets, and equity capital.
To strengthen the targeted sectors, EDIP collaborated with industry associations to deliver technical assistance with the help of small grants. EDIP promoted Palestinian products in the US, EU, Gulf States, and other markets via trade shows and business-to-business conferences in order to attract private investment.
Among other activities, EDIP:
- intensively researched the West Bank’s ability to meet global market demand for tourism, stone and marble, ICT, agribusiness, and specialty food (read the presentations here);
- organized the Industry and Economic Growth Forum in Jericho, where Palestinian businesses, government leaders, and industry associations identified the most promising economic sectors to guide EDIP priorities;
- promoted tourism throughout the West Bank with "fam trips" for travel agents and journalists to boost the region's image and encourage improvements to tourist infrastructure;
- supported Palestinian Pavilions at the Fancy Food Show (specialty foods), Coverings (stone and marble), GITEX, and EXPOTECH (ICT); and
- hosted Google training sessions in Ramallah, where Palestinians learned tools for e-commerce and networked with others in the industry.
Download the project's Fact Sheet.