Abstract
AECOM and its subcontracting partners were awarded USAID/Iraq's $53.3 million Financial Development Program (FDP). The purpose of this award is to develop the private financial sector so that it offers the best long-term prospects for providing credit needed to promote and sustain economic growth and job creation. Total obligated amount as of March 2012 was $31.6 million, with nearly half that amount already spent. The project's activities are organized across its three main components: (1) enhance advocacy capacity of the private financial sector„hcomponent; (2) improve the soundness of the private financial sector through institution buildingand targeted reforms; and (3) improve quality and availability of finance and business education. At the project's its mid-term mark, USAID commissioned a mid-term evaluation. The evauations goals were: (1) provide an independent assessment of project's performance; (2) identify reasons why progress is or is not being made; and (3) recommend actions for USAID to take, either at the project level or with the Government of Iraq (GOI), in order to achieve the project objectives. (Excerpt, modified)