Connecting Regional Economies
As prime contractor, AECOM International Development has been awarded the USAID Sri Lanka Connecting Regional Economies (CORE) project. This $18.2 million contract will be implemented in Sri Lanka's north central and eastern conflict zones.
CORE addresses the disparity in economic development between the north and east of Sri Lanka and the rest of the country. We will implement the project with an integrated approach, extending value chains broadly and deeply into the grassroots level; training individuals in the skills and knowledge they need to participate as entrepreneurs and workers in value chains; and improving the business environment to enable value chains to achieve grater competitiveness. In so doing, we will create the "political space" necessary to reduce conflict in Sri Lanka.
The main technical areas of the CORE program are:
- Competitiveness and value chain enhancement in the agriculture sector
- Value chain services in microfinance, ITC, and business development services
- Workforce development
- Economic policy
- Livelihoods
- Grants management
- Conflict resolution