Lebanon - Supporting Innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises Project

Overview & Synopsis

Ratings of Supporting Innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises Project for Lebanon were as follows: outcome was moderately satisfactory, Bank performance was moderately satisfactory, and monitoring and evaluation quality was substantial. Some of the lessons learned include: strengthen government approval processes of disbursements; design simpler and more actionable indicators; a well-resourced Project management unit (PMU) is critical; develop a clear exit strategy for sustainability; local SMEs need more than just funding; committed Investment committee (IC) members add significant value; matching fund design is critical for VC development; gender inclusion strategies; proactive field-based supervision improves outcomes; and adaptive project design is crucial in FCV or crisis prone environments.