The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a new GROW project to support Ukrainian credit unions, according to the USAID website.
“Through a partnership with the World Council of Credit Unions, USAID will expand support for Ukrainian credit unions, enabling them to provide more loans to businesses and individual entrepreneurs,” the report said.
The initiative begins this month and will last for the next four years. The initial investment of resources will be $5 million.
The GROW project will work closely with credit unions in Ukraine to create products and partnerships that will maximize credit union outreach to Ukrainians and positively impact local communities and local economies. The project will also increase access to finance for Ukrainians seeking to start their own businesses and businesses wishing to expand their operations, particularly for micro, small and medium enterprises, cooperatives and agro-producers in rural areas of the country.
In addition, the project will support Ukraine’s long-term priorities for further integration and EU accession, in particular harmonization of the regulatory framework for credit unions with relevant EU requirements.
In March-April, Ukrgasvydobuvannya JSC received 102 diesel generators funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the company’s press service said on Friday.
According to the press service, they are used as emergency stationary power sources to provide electricity to production facilities and repair bases, as well as administrative buildings. The diesel generators can also be used as mobile power sources for field crews for maintenance, repair and construction of UGV facilities.
“USAID is helping Ukraine prepare for the next winter in this way. Every day our company overcomes many challenges related to the war. In this difficult time, assistance from international partners is very important for us,” said UGV CEO Oleg Tolmachev.
In turn, the press service of Naftogaz clarified that USAID will also provide additional means of protection for the group’s gas production facilities from Russian attacks.
“We are very grateful to the international partners who have provided us with this assistance, as it is extremely important to support Ukrainian production in the face of the destruction of the country’s energy infrastructure,” said Oleksiy Chernyshov, the group’s CEO.
As reported, in 2022, Ukrgasvydobuvannya produced 12.5 bcm of natural gas (commercial), which is 3% less than in 2021. In 2023, the company produced 13.224 bcm of commercial gas, which is 0.679 bcm more than in 2022.
NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine owns 100% of Ukrgasvydobuvannya shares.
Samantha Power, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has announced the delivery of seven autotransformers to Ukraine, which will help provide electricity to millions of people.
“Following Russia’s brutal attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, Ukraine needs critical assistance to keep electricity flowing to millions of Ukrainians across the country. USAID recently completed the delivery of seven autotransformers, a step toward expanding their energy capacity,” Power wrote on social media site X.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is allocating 60 million dollars to support Ukrainian agriculture, USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman has said, Radio Liberty has reported.
According to Coleman, the aid package is aimed at implementing a new Harvest program to mitigate the impact of Russian aggression on agricultural production in Ukraine.
“The program aims to help Ukrainian agrarians improve production efficiency, make it more resilient and competitive in times of war, and along with that lay the groundwork for long-term sustainable development of the Ukrainian agribusiness sector. Under Harvest, USAID will help create a regulatory and business environment in Ukraine that unlocks the potential for innovation and helps leverage private business resources to help Ukrainian agribusinesses continue to feed their country and many other countries around the world,” USAID said.
Coleman noted that the Ukrainian agricultural sector remains one of the main drivers of the Ukrainian economy – in particular, it contributed more than 60 percent of export revenues in 2023. USAID adds that the Harvest program will be part of the Agriculture Sustainability Initiative in Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine). Since July 2022, the Agency has invested more than $350 million in it, attracting another more than $370 million from other donors.
The USAID Health Reform Support (HRS) Project has launched two projects to restore medical infrastructure in 45 communities in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
According to the Ministry of Health, the project partners will be KBS Start LLC in Kharkiv Oblast and the Alliance for Public Health in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The projects will be implemented by December 2024.
In addition, within the framework of the project “Restoring Public Access to Health Care”, it is planned to cooperate with 36 primary health care centers.
The USAID Rural and Agricultural Development Program has announced the launch of a program to co-finance 20 Ukrainian agricultural processing enterprises that intend to restore and develop their export potential, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reports.
According to the report, the competition is open to non-state (private) enterprises/companies that have export-oriented development strategies and are regular exporters.
The companies can receive co-financing to increase the volume of purchases and processing of raw materials, in particular, by attracting micro, small and medium-sized agricultural producers for long-term partnership. Grant recipients will also be able to introduce new grain processing technologies to increase productivity by at least 25%.
It is expected that with the grant funds, the companies will be able to develop a long-term export strategy and increase sales by 20% through 5 new export channels and markets for processed products and increase sales in foreign markets.
The USAID AGRO program will focus on restoring and strengthening processing capacities to produce value-added products for export, such as corn for feed and food; wheat for food, industrial and feed purposes; rye for industrial and feed purposes; industrial sunflower seeds; high oleic sunflower seeds; soybeans for industrial and feed purposes; varietal and regular cycle seeds.
The donor organization has drawn the attention of applicants to the fact that projects aimed at storing grains, oilseeds and pulses, including receiving, cleaning, drying, storing, and shipping grain by rail and road, are not eligible.
The application deadline is May 31, 2024.
