The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, has recently approved a technical cooperation grant of US$1,986,098 for a regional project to be executed by TechnoServe in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. The project will seek to enhance the performance of 630 small and growing businesses and promote their sustained participation in value chains, with an emphasis on 455 small and growing women-led businesses. In order to achieve this, the project will link to corporate partners or anchor firms that will serve as pillars for small and growing businesses.

Although anchor companies in Central America are interested in buying more from small businesses, their main problems in doing so are related to the volume, timelines, and quality of the products or services they offer. Moreover, small and growing women-led businesses in Central America face still greater challenges in growing and maintaining their activities due to various obstacles to accessing financial products and services, value chains, and training to improve their business performance.