USAID’s programs in Georgia aim to foster inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the country through improved economic governance, increased competitiveness and employment, responsible management of Georgia’s natural endowments, increased access to quality education, investments in energy and infrastructure, and support for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

While Georgia has significant economic advantages, a strategic regional geographic location, proximity to international markets, and vast natural resources, the country has faced some challenges in transitioning from a state-controlled to a market-based economy.  Recognizing the importance of overcoming these challenges, USAID’s activities in Georgia support the underlying systems that will sustain the country's growth and help Georgia prosper in the global marketplace.

Current programs:

Restoring Efficiency to Agriculture Production (REAP) 
Sep 2013 – Sep 2018
Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)
www.reap.ge
The purpose of the REAP project is to increase employment and income in rural areas by providing assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order to support improved agricultural productivity, marketing, and processing. The project will facilitate the entry of new agribusinesses and expand the operation of existing SMEs to create new jobs, improve the availability of high-quality inputs and machinery services for farmers, and strengthen markets for agricultural goods and services in Georgia. 

The ZRDA activity in Georgia
Mar 2016 – Mar 2021
Chemonics International Inc.
Zrda represents an opportunity to strengthen the skills, productivity, and networks of local actors – from vulnerable households to developed Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) – to contribute to broad-based economic growth and strengthened resilience in target communities.  Zrda will develop MSME skills, improve rural households’ ability to generate income, and foster enduring market linkages to strengthen the market system, bolstering the resilience and livelihoods of our target communities.  Zrda will work in at least 70 communities, create 2,000 jobs, increase sales for 650 MSMEs by $30 million, increase incomes of 11,000 households by at least 25 percent, generate measurable improvements in community resilience, and leverage $3 million from municipalities, donors, and private partners. 

Developing Georgia's Agricultural Economics Capacity
Mar 2014 – Jun 2017
Partnership for Economics Education and Research (PEER)
www.iset.ge
This project builds upon a comprehensive assessment of teaching, training and research needs in the Georgian agricultural sector commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in late 2011. The project establishes a concentration in Agricultural Economics within the International School of Economics at Tbilisi University’s (ISET’s) Master’s Program in Economics. Selected second year ISET students will complete courses focused on agricultural market analysis, trade in agricultural goods, and agricultural policy. The project will also establish an Agricultural Policy Research Center (APRC) at ISET’s Policy Institute. This new center will develop and communicate relevant research, deliver on-demand consulting services,  training, policy evaluation, and analysis, thus contributing to the project’s sustainability.  The project’s aim is to create a pool of well-trained young economists capable of addressing a wide array of issues related to agricultural and rural development policy in Georgia and the region. Several cohorts of well-trained agricultural economists educated through this project will be employed by the Ministry of Agriculture, other public agencies, NGOs, businesses and international organizations concerned with agricultural policy and Georgia’s rural development.
 

Georgia Agricultural Policy Initiative (GAPI)
Jul 2013 – Jul 2017
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
GAPI assists the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture and the National Statistics Office of Georgia to develop an effective agriculture, information system that includes the creation of a policy unit with the capacity to conduct market outlook and agricultural policy analysis.  The unit analyzes and disseminates economic information needed by both public and private sector decision-makers in Georgia.

Governing for Growth in Georgia (G4G) Activity
Aug 2014 – Aug 2019
Deloitte Consulting LLP
The purpose of the G4G activity is to improve Georgia’s economic governance and leadership in the areas of the business enabling environment, water resource management, an energy trading mechanism and Georgia’s Electricity Market Model of 2015. G4G will strengthen the capacity of Government of Georgia (GOG) institutions to develop, implement, and enforce reforms, and develop the capacity of private sector and civil society actors to engage the GOG on the development, implementation, and enforcement of reforms. Key to the success of G4G will be supporting inclusive and constructive dialogue among government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders.

Farmer to Farmer program (F2F)
Sep 2013- Sep 2018
ACDI VOCA
www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/georgiaFtF
Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program provides voluntary technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, and agribusinesses in developing and transitional countries to promote sustainable improvements in food security and agricultural processing, production, and marketing.

Improvement of Sakpatenti’s e-Governance System
Sep 2015 – March 2017
The National Intellectual Property
Center of Georgia Sakpatenti
The National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti is a governmental agency, a legal entity of public law. The purpose of this G2G award is to improve Sakpatenti’s e-filing system to better serve businesses and simplify intellectual property rights (IPR) registration procedures. The new system will allow for online registration and processing of IPR objects; paperless communications between applicants, patent attorneys and Sakpatenti; and will contain a fully integrated online payments system. In addition, support will include the integration of the electronic office management system, the design of a new website, and the equipping of the Intellectual Property Academy with video conference facilities to host lectures, webinars and workshops in real-time.  

Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Project (G-HIP) /> Dec 2015 – Dec 2020
Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)
G-HIP will be implemented as a public-private Alliance between USAID, Ferrero and CNFA that leverages the technical and financial resources of each partner to broaden, deepen and advance the public and private sectors development of the hazelnut sector. G-HIP will be co-created, co-developed and co-implemented by the Alliance. The G-HIP Alliance will utilize market based approaches and solutions to advance USAID’s development priorities by increasing the quality and quantity of Georgian hazelnut production, improving processing capabilities and establishing market linkages that will allow smallholder growers to reach lucrative end markets.

Supporting Youth Entrepreneurial Skills for Advancing Employability and Income Generation in Georgia
Sep 2015 – Apr 2018 
Crystal Fund 
http://www.crystalfund.ge
The program  represents a targeted public-private partnership that builds institutional frameworks and models facilitating greater economic participation of youth through increased opportunities for self-employment by starting enterprises and for employment in established companies. The activity seeks to broaden economic opportunities for youth in Georgia, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, and enhancing young women and men’s employability in growth areas. This will  provide them with greater confidence, role models and vision for their active economic participation which will,  in general,  foster economic growth in Georgia and contribute to the overall developmental goals of the country.

Development Credit Authority – Loan Portfolio Guarantee
Sep 2015 – Sep 2022
Bank Republic
www.republic.ge
USAID extended a Development Credit Authority (DCA) loan portfolio guarantee to Bank Republic to make commercial credit of up to $15 million available to private agribusinesses in Georgia, thereby stimulating economic growth.