Albania Small Business Credit and Assistance Project Quarterly Report for April 1 to June 30, 2006.(Q3, FY 2005/6)

摘要

In the third quarter of FY2006, the Small Business Credit and Assistance (SBCA) project began to see the clear and sustainable impact from Phase IIs increased focus on providing credit and technical assistance to proven clients. Through its local and international specialists, SBCA has been successfully transferring new technology that is directly linked to market realities and needs, as well as helping Albanian business find new markets for their products. Coming into the third quarter of FY2006, the SBCA strategy was to build on the established relationships of our short-term consultants from their initial assignments in Albania, introduce a fourth expert (Production Management Specialist) to round off the knowledge and skills needed by Albanian businesses, and showcase the projects successes in two major events: the New Albania Cheeses Promotion and the Albanian Olive Oil Promotional Event. Since their initial assignments in Albania in the second quarter, international experts have committed their time to building relationships and trust through return visits and have coordinated short-term technical assistance to develop the capacity of project clients and professional staff. Local professional staff, in turn, have been ensuring the sustainability of their efforts through follow-up client visits and regular communication with the Business Service Providers (BSPs) and Business Promoters (BPs) partners. By the end of the second quarter of FY2006, SBCA and its clients showed concrete successes well beyond the ambitious targets in domestic and international sales, business creation and the number and volume of loans from its partners. The brief stories included at the end of this report help illustrate the impact of the project on a human level. SBCA remains on target with regards to the fulfillment of its year five work plan and budget. While the palpable results of the third quarter have proven the success of emphasizing highimpact Albanian businesses, there is still a great deal of work to be done in the remaining months of the project.