Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC)
2000 M Street NW
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Tel: 202-589-2600
Email: iesc@iesc.org
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Monrovia – Liberia’s agriculture sector is a potential source of the largest employment for Liberians but is yet to experience any significant growth. The low level of commercial banks’ involvement in the sector is partly responsible for the prevailing situation. The banks seem reluctant to lend to smallholder farmers and agribusinesses because they consider agriculture as a high-risk sector.
However, there are ongoing efforts to…
read moreJackie Howard (left) and Caroline Flowers (right) pose with their BBA diplomas.
In 2012, Caroline Flowers and Jackie Howard spotted a flyer at their university’a flyer that would shape the next three years of their college experience and beyond. It was a flyer was soliciting interns for IESC’s USAID-funded Investing for Business Expansion Program (IBEX), which provides business loan facilitation and technical assistance…
read moreEmmanuel Wesley, owner of Zeo Furniture Construction, will use his loan to add a showroom to feature his custom-made doors and furniture.
Emmanuel Wesley Sr. is determined to dispel the long-held notion that Liberia doesn’t produce good quality home and office furniture. Wesley is owner and chief executive officer of Zeo Furniture Construction Company in Paynesville, outside Liberia’s capital of Monrovia. He is confident in…
read moreBenedict Sampson, CEO of Moonlight, standing beside one of their many agro machines.
From his garage under a shade tree in the central Liberian town Gbarnga, Benedict Sampson applied for another loan, a loan he didn’t get because he couldn’t afford the bank’s repayment terms.
Sampson is chief executive officer at Moonlight Metal Works and Garage. His business specializes in agricultural equipment and tools, demand for…
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From left: Hamadou Bayo (Afriland), Watchen Bruce
(IBEX Program), and Anthony Chan (USAID).
MONROVIA ‘ In a signing ceremony on Tuesday, October 13, at the Mamba Point Hotel, representatives from the USAID mission in Liberia and Afriland First Bank Liberia signed a risk-sharing agreement between the bank and USAID’s Development Credit Authority (DCA)….
read moreIESC ‘ the International Executive Service Corps ‘ is a US based not-for-profit with a focus on supporting private enterprise in developing countries. We have worked in 130 countries ‘ mainly with the generous support of USAID ‘ designing, implementing, managing and evaluating a wide range of market-driven solutions.
IESC is seeking technical directors in the areas of agriculture inputs, postharvest handling, private sector development,…
read moreIESC is proud to announce that on July 16, the IBEX program will be awarded the 2014 Golden Image Award. The Golden Image Award is a national Liberian meritorious award bestowed to individuals or organizations that have made selfless contributions to peace and humanity nationally or internationally. The giving of the award is part of a series of national activities leading up to Liberia’s Independence Day on July 26. The ceremony will take…
read moreOn June 19, the United States Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom visited the Liberia-IBEX Program. She met with IBEX staff and beneficiaries including 10 Liberian women entrepreneurs. The beneficiaries highlighted the services that IBEX provides and thanked USAID for its continued support of the program. Towards the end of the visit Ms. Higginbottom made note of the growing attention Africa is receiving…
read moreIBEX Partner Banks Signing the New Agreements
On March 14, 2014 the IBEX Program signed new agreements with its partners Ecobank and IB Bank expanding their cooperation to 5 additional sectors: transportation, hospitality, construction, general merchandise, and infrastructure. Previously, the program’s scope of work was limited to the renewable energy and agricultural sectors. USAID Liberia Mission…
read moreMonrovia – Since the government of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf came to power, many small and medium businesses have benefited from micro financing loans to increase their business enterprises, with less attention paid to agriculture business groups.
Recently, IESC under a USAID program, Liberia Investing for Business Expansion (IBEX) formulated a way to help informal farming groups acquire loans from banks to invest. IESC/IBEX in…
read moreKeffa Bua Eloi fled the Ivory Coast several years ago to escape from civil war and instability. As an Ivorian refugee in Liberia he had to find means to support himself. Mr. Eloi wanted to buy his own enterprise to the process Attieke, fermented cassava pulp, but did not know how to obtain the necessary financing.
IESC provided Mr. Eloi with technical assistance and training through the USAID-funded Liberia Investing in Business Expansion…
read moreIESC is reaching out to remote and conflict-affected regions of Liberia through local radio stations to promote business growth through improved access to finance.
The USAID-funded Liberia Investing for Business Expansion (IBEX) Program, implemented by IESC under the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), is working to improve Liberia’s lending environment for agriculture and renewable energy through improved risk management and…
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