Narrative Description of Project
The aim of the focus groups was to provide complementary information to the Iraq MSME Survey 2021 (which covered Baghdad, Basra and Nineveh governorates).
The governorates of Kirkuk, Babil and Dhi Qar were chosen for this assignment for their geographic positions to cover north, south and central areas of Iraq.
The key objective of this project is to identify regional-specific factors that will help prioritize the recommendations generated by the MSME survey to the specific needs of the remaining governorates. The focus groups were specifically designed to understand certain attributes of MSMEs at a deeper level than it was possible to obtain from the survey. These attributes were incorporated into the questions discussed in the focus groups which encompassed the following 9 topics: MSME Business Environment, Financing, Employment and Human Resources, Women Entrepreneurs and Women Owned Businesses, Innovation and Technology, Globalization and access to Export Opportunities, and Local Economic Development.
Description of Actual Services Provided
