Blue and green gradient placeholder image

Our People .

Former Senior Global Practice Lead, Economic Growth and Trade Eileen Hoffman

Eileen Hoffman is a former senior global practice lead for Chemonics’ Economic Growth and Trade Community of Practice.  She led the Washington-based USAID Innovative Finance Task Order, developing white papers and trainings on pay-for-results to enhance the skills and knowledge of USAID’s acquisition and assistance workforce.

by Eileen Hoffman


Three Models that Ensure Private Sector Engagement

This post originally appeared on Devex. Donor agencies, such as the United States Agency for International Development and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, have made private sector engagement, or PSE, a key element of their development strategies. Being more intentional about including the private sector in development is good news. Over the years,…

Building the Tech Workforce through Private Sector Engagement

Many countries find themselves facing “brain drain” — mass exodus of bright young minds seeking greater opportunities for employment abroad. In the small European country Moldova, for instance, one third of the population has left to find living wages elsewhere. Fortunately, engaging the private sector in technology-related workforce development projects offers a sustainable, market-based solution.…

The SDGs are a Common Language and We’re Not Speaking It

The adoption of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was a watershed moment for the world, not only because of the importance of the goals themselves, but also because of the inclusiveness of the process used to develop them. Because of that inclusiveness, the private sector is now speaking the same language as that…

4 Ways Women Can Support Women’s Economic Empowerment

USAID’s recent Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality Workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa, brought together nearly 100 men and women dedicated to advancing women’s economic empowerment and equality throughout Africa and beyond. Over a period of two and a half days, we discussed USAID’s new draft Framework to Promote Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality, listened to…

Bridging Gaps in Financial Services with Digital Technology

This post originally appeared on SEEP’s blog. Chemonics is a proud member of SEEP. Have you ever wondered if there is a better way to expand and deepen financial inclusion? Have you tried forming innovative partnerships or using digital technology? Financial inclusion is a building block of strong economies throughout the world. However, in many…

Making Market Development Work When Crisis Hits

This blog post originally appeared on SEEP’s blog. Chemonics is a proud member of SEEP. Picture this: Your market development program is going well. Your strategy aligns with the national government’s objectives. Your donor is happy. Business owners are happy. People are getting jobs and earning income. The market is growing. And then a crisis…

Know Your SDGS: Can We Really End Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere?

The very first proposed goal of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is simply this: “End poverty in all its forms everywhere.” This is an incredibly bold statement. A commitment to END POVERTY. In ALL ITS FORMS. EVERYWHERE. I usually avoid writing in all caps, but in this case, I feel the need to emphasize…

Paving the Way for Business

Since the mid-2000’s, Georgia has achieved significant gains in business enabling environment reforms. How has PMCG transferred that experience to its clients? Serving as the Minister of Finance (2005-2007) and Minister of Economic Development (2004-2005), I, together with the government team supported by international development partner institutions (specifically with the USAID Business Climate Reform in Georgia…

Big Data. Big Impact.

Every year the annual SEEP conference provides economic development practitioners with opportunities to learn about and discuss innovations and successes from projects around the world. While the annual conference is always full of new ideas and trend-setting professionals, the 2014 conference stands out for bringing the idea of “big data” to development in a way…