Technical Assistance

Proparco offers technical assistance to its clients in response and in addition to its financial support. These services aim to support the responsible practices and innovative initiatives of the private sector (new products and services, modes of production and organization…), and thereby strengthen the impact of Proparco’s investments on local development.

Through these services, Proparco supports the financing of studies (feasibility studies, for example) and audits, as well as the implementation of its clients’ in-house projects, for which one or several consultants can be seconded.

This assistance mainly aims to support:

• The implementation of environmental and social management systems in financial institutions (banks, investment funds and microfinance institutions) and the promotion of performance standards¹ in companies, as well as certification processes (ISO 14 001, OHSAS 18001, SA 8000, etc.);

• Capacity building for financial and risk management, including the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing (a condition sine qua none for any Group financing), as well as the strengthening of governance in companies in which PROPARCO invests (functioning of decision-making bodies, information systems…);

• An energy diagnostic to develop energy management solutions (energy efficiency/renewable energies);

• The launch of new innovative products and services in response to the needs of the most vulnerable (low-income populations, women, young people…), but also of microenterprises and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, small-scale farmers…

_{¹ This notion of corporate “performance” covers the objectives of efficiency (production), effectiveness (productivity), viability (profitability) and relevance (economic, social and environmental impacts).}

PROPARCO finances them by mobilizing:

• The FISEA technical assistance facility , which is primarily intended to build the capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa;

• The Governance Capacity Building Facility (FRCG) , which finances projects to improve environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance;

• Its own budgets.