81282831-Centre of excellence for evidence-based economic policy making in Iraq

The Private Sector Development & Employment Promotion (PSD) Project in Iraq is a multi-donor action commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The PSD project supports governmental efforts of creating conditions for a growth-oriented business and investment climate in central and southern Iraq as well as in the Kurdistan region. It provides advisory services for economic reforms to government partners and supports fact-based policy making through promoting the inclusion of private sector representations, academic institutions and civil society organisations into policy-making processes. In addition, PSD supports the creation of employment prospects in the private sector for young Iraqis, especially women and returnees, following an integrated approach that combines labour market-driven skills development and job placement measures as well as entrepreneurship development, and advisory services for MSMEs. Overall, this multi-donor action puts emphasis on developing long-term abilities of its partners such as Ministry of Planning (MoP), Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR), Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA), chambers and business associations. Special attention is given to sectors with a strong potential for growth such as agri-business, solar energy, waste management, and hospitality, with a regional focus on Baghdad, Basra, Diwaniyah, Diyala, Erbil and Mosul.