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Managing procurement and financial systems for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)
posted on: 2007-12-11
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GFA will soon start five new assignments as Fiscal Agent for the MCAs of Armenia, Burkina Faso, Lesotho, Mongolia and Mozambique, thus making GFA a preferred partner for the eligible MCA countries and the MCC for financial management of MCA funding. In total, GFA has been entrusted to manage funds of more than US$ 2.5 billion. These projects are being implemented in association with Charles Kendall & Partner (CKP). In addition, projects have been awarded to GFA and CKP as Procurement Agent. Whereas CKP takes the lead in procurement, GFA manages the fiscal agent contracts. In both cases the availability of customized software is a crucial factor for success.
The solutions offered date back as far as 1993, when GFA was entrusted as General Agent by the German Ministry of Agriculture with managing the procurements and finances for the “Transform Program for Central and Eastern Europe”. Efficient and transparent processes for handling procurements, disbursements and re-disbursements were developed. Whereas initially spreadsheet solutions still worked, it became obvious that more professional solutions would eventually be required. However, these were not available on the market. B.I.S. Business Intelligence Systems GmbH was founded to fill that gap. Meanwhile B.I.S. has become an established IT company specialized in financial systems and procurement, as well as in other flexible, data analysis software solutions, including management information systems (MIS) for different purposes.
The Infor FMS Sunsystems Software facilitates the financial management of MCC funds and related procurements. The modules and tools developed appear to be perfectly customized to MCA project requirements. Whereas GFA has gained a reputation for competent and professional project management, customized IT solutions are becoming more and more important. The success in competing for MCA fiscal management projects can mainly be explained in the light of the development of software tools in the financial management field. This also applies to other central areas of competence.
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by: Günter Schmidt, GFA Consulting Group
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Philippine President opens the 1st International Conference on Local Government Financing
posted on: 2007-11-22
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After 8 months of development the Philippine version of the software iTAX is already in use in 11 pilot-LGUs in the Province of Negros Oriental in the Philippines. The actual version, based on the iTAX-Version for the tax administration in Tanzania, was designed by the GFA Local Team leader in Dumaguete City for the Tanzanian Revenue Authority (TRA) in the year 2000 in Dar Es Salam.
During the 1st International Conference on Local Government Financing on Oct. 29/30, 2007 the GTZ Project, which is executed by GFA Consulting Group, presented iTAX to the public. More than 350 participants from Australia, Benin, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Madagascar, Peru, Philippines and Tanzania joined the conference. The Philippine president Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo personally opened the conference in Dumaguete City to highlight the importance of local revenues for independent Local Government Units (LGUs).
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by: Anja Desai, GFA Consulting Group
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EU-funded Project on Support to SMEs receives citation from State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship
posted on: 2007-11-14
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In the margins of the 6th Project Steering Committee held by the EU-funded Project “Ukraine: SME Support Services in Priority Regions” in Kiev on November 9, 2007, the Project as a whole and its core team of international and local experts received a citation from the State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship (SCURPE) for their contribution to the development of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector in Ukraine.
Citing from a letter especially issued by Mr. K. Vaschenko, Acting Head of SCURPE, for this occasion, Mr. G. Bilous, Deputy Head of SCURPE, in particular mentioned the project’s and individual experts’ contribution to “the further development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine, the enhancement of the country’s competitiveness and the growth of the SME sector as a whole”.
The citations were handed over to the project’s team in the premises of SCURPE and the awarding event was attended by (see photo from left to right) Mr. David Wood, Project Expert, Mr. Philip Santens, Project Team Leader, Mr. Vincent Williams, Project Expert, Mr. Grigorios Kontzoglou, Project Manager of the Delegation of the European Commission in Ukraine, Mr. Igor Ivanov, Acting Head Ukrainian Center for Enterprise Restructuring (UCER), Mr. Gennadiy Bilous, Deputy Head SCURPE, Mr. Alexander Markus, Project Expert, Mr. Igor Rogoshevskyy, President Ukrainian Association of Management Consultants (UAMC) and Mr. Arman Gamzyan, Head of Division SCURPE. Not present in the photo but having received a citation is Mr. Alexander Tsepko, Deputy Team Leader.
It goes without saying that all experts receiving a citation were delighted with this award as it reflects the State Committee’s appreciation of overall and individual project efforts delivered and results achieved since the start of the project early May, 2007.
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by: Philip Santens, GFA Consulting Group
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Enhancing Economic Knowledge -
GFA supports publication of Microeconomics using Excel by Dieter Kirschke, Gerald Schwarz and Kurt Jechlitschka
posted on: 2007-10-25
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This publication is a new, innovative textbook for students of economics as well as for professionals in economic and policy analysis. It combines economic theory and policy analysis with hands-on spreadsheet modelling. The unique approach facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the link between theory and problem solving.
The core parts of the book divided into 18 chapters are - Analysis of Price Policies
- Analysis of Structural Policies
- Multi-Market Models
- Budget Policy and Priority Setting.
The theory behind each major economic problem is explained and it is shown how each problem can be modelled and solved using Excel.
GFA is proud to have been associated with the publication of this book by the scientific publishing house Routledge and which you can order under
ISBN-13: 978-0-415-41787-7 (pbk); ISBN-13: 978-0-415-41787-0 (hbk)
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by: Hans Christoph Schaefer-Kehnert, GFA Consulting Group
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GFA to support the GTZ Private Sector Development Programme in Azerbaijan
posted on: 2007-10-22
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In a press conference on 10th October 2007 in Lenkoran, Southern Azerbaijan the GTZ officially kicked off the Local Economic Development Component of their Private Sector Development Programme in Azerbaijan.
On this occasion, the GTZ took the opportunity of welcoming the GFA Consulting Group which is going to support the implementation of the LED component during the next three years by providing an international long-term expert and a pool of short-term experts.
Under contract to the GTZ and in consortium with the German ICON Institute, GFA will engage in the following activities in order to develop the economic region of Lenkoran:
- drafting a regional development strategy to serve as a pilot scheme for other economic regions in Azerbaijan;
- strengthening and further developing the range of services provided by the GTZ Business Support Centre in the town of Lenkoran;
- fostering local value chains and the sectoral development of the economy, e.g. tourism;
- strengthening regional or sectoral business associations.
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by: Jens Hauser, GFA Consulting Group
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Entrepreneur des Jahres
posted on: 2007-10-16
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Germany’s Best
Ernst & Young awards renowned economic prize
They excel through their outstanding growth rates and their great innovative force: for the eleventh time the certified auditors and business consultants Ernst & Young are choosing the best medium-sized entrepreneurs in Germany. More than 350 applicants took part this year in the multi level, rigorous selection procedure for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2007, amongst them Johannes Lagemann from the GFA Consulting Group GmbH. He has now reached the finals of the renowned economic prize. The prize has achieved a high level of esteem in past years through its demanding and ambitious criteria, says Wolfgang Glauner, promoter and project manager of the contest. The candidates’ achievements are scrutinised not only on the basis of their companies’ key performance indicators, but also in the course of a personal interview. Only when a candidate has overcome these great obstacles can he reach the finals and thus become an aspirant to the title Entrepreneur Of The Year 2007.
Impressing Growth
The finalists mostly occupy lucrative niches in their area of business and exhibit considerable growth here, - one criterion, which also applies to the GFA Consulting Group GmbH: in this way the GFA Consulting Group was able to increase its turnover by 20 per cent from 2005 to 2006 to about 50 million EURO, the number of employees could be increased to 270 in 2006. Turnover and number of employees will also further increase in the current business year.
Now the independent, top-class, panel of expert judges is spoilt for choice and has a difficult decision to make by 19th October. The panel will choose the Entrepreneurs Of The Year 2007 from the circle of the 98 finalists. The prize has been presented for eleven years in the categories industry, services, trade, in-formation and communication technology/media as well as start-up. The award winners will be announced during a gala ceremony in the Alten Oper Frankfurt.
About the GFA Consulting Group
The GFA Consulting Group is active in the currently internationally relevant topics of climate, nutrition, water, energy, financial systems, education and health and in particular within the scope of development cooperation. An important new area of business is the planning of climate protection projects for internationally operating energy companies and climate funds. The business consultancy with a turnover of around 50 million EUROs works with approximately 270 employees on over 200 projects and is represented in 70 countries of the world through its own project or representative offices. This year, following a 25-year building-up phase, the founder has handed over the entrepreneurial role to the younger management team in the form of an MBO. In the future GFA will continue to press ahead with the internationalisation process through the founding of subsidiary companies abroad.
On the competition Entrepreneur Of The Year:
Ernst & Young organises the entrepreneur competition Entrepreneur Of The Year worldwide in 50 countries. In Germany the award is being conferred for the eleventh time in 2007. This distinction identifies and honours top performance, entrepreneurial achievements. A high-ranking, neutral panel of judges, consisting of entrepreneurs and academics, selects the Entrepreneur Of The Year in the categories industry, trade, services, information and communication technolo-gy/media as well as start-up. Well-known companies and media support the con-test as partners. Amongst these are BMW, IKB Deutsche Industriebank, Capgemini, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Manager Magazin.
www.entrepreneur-des-jahres.de
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by: Susanne Eggers, GFA Consulting Group
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GFA`s 25th Anniversary Celebration
posted on: 2007-09-24
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300 guests from donor agencies, counterparts from many countries, representatives of partner companies and banks, together with GFA staff members and their partners were taken on an exciting journey through the 25-year history of the GFA Consulting Group.
Presentations, discussions and official addresses were followed by a buffet which offered a variety of dishes from different continents. Afterwards, entertainment took the form of live music and then the dance floor was open to all and well frequented until 3 in the morning.
An exciting day for everyone and an event to remember!
Please take a look at the main speech by Johannes Lagemann which is available in
German, English, French and Spanish.
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by: Natascha Malik, GFA Consulting Group
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25th Anniversary of the GFA Consulting Group
posted on: 2007-09-14
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GFA staff members, partners and guests from many countries are celebrating GFA`s 25th anniversary on Friday, 14th September 2007. All guests will be taken on an exciting journey through the past 25 years:- 25 years of successful GFA projects
- 25 years of worldwide support by GFA
- 25 years of a highly motivated team
Apart from the main event at the headquarters in Hamburg, GFA staff members, partners and colleagues are celebrating the occasion at various other locations in Asia, Africa, Europe, and in Latin America.
For further information please have a look at GFA`s 25th anniversary presentation!
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by: Johannes Lagemann, GFA Consulting Group
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Private Sector Development in Azerbaijan
posted on: 2007-09-07
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The GFA Consulting Group (lead company) in cooperation with the ICON Institute has won a component of the private sector development programme in Azerbaijan, financed by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). GFA/ICON will work on four components:
- regional development planning for the South region ,
- establishment of a business support center in Lankaran (South region) ,
- value chain development in two regionally important industries , and
- strenghtening of regional business support organisations.
Project activities will start in October 2007.
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by: Inge Gärke, GFA Consulting Group
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Two GFA Workshops held in Serbia
posted on: 2007-08-31
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1) GFA ENVEST together with RWE Power AG organizes a workshop on "Kyoto Protocol - Co-financing Options for Renewable Energy Projects" in Belgrade, Serbia
On 18th September 2007 GFA ENVEST together with RWE Power AG organizes a Serbian-German Workshop on Kyoto Protocol - Co financing Options for Renewable Energy Projects. in Belgrade, Serbia. The workshop focuses on mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol and financing options. Four renewable energy project examples will be presented including co-financing through carbon revenues under the Kyoto Protocol. After the presentations bilateral meetings and discussion on project ideas are envisaged followed by a "Late-Afternoon Cocktail" on ocassion of 25th birthday of GFA Consulting Group.
The Programme of the workshop can be downloaded here: .
2) GFA organizes a Workshop on Regional and SME Development in Belgrade, Serbia
On 19th September 2007 GFA organizes a Workshop "Management of Regional and SME Development" - Experiences from EU and Transition Economies in Belgrade, Serbia. The idea of the workshop is to demonstrate experience of EU policies on different levels of regional development implemented by Central and Eastern European countries - new EU member states: Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic. The presentations cover policy level aspects of institutional framework building for EU regional policies (Poland), challenges to capacity building of RDAs and SME Agencies on the intermediate level (Slovenia) and finally, grant scheme management for SME Competitiveness (Czech Republic)
The Programme of the workshop can be downloaded here:.
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by: Zoran Kapor, GFA Consulting Group
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