Essor was a six-year programme in the DRC focussing on business environment reform (BER). Essor was part of DFID DRC’s wider private sector development programme for the period 2015-2021. The focus was on business law and regulation via the Organisation pour l'harmonisation en Afrique du droit des affaires (OHADA); as well as work on public private partnerships (PPPs) in electricity infrastructure; and on access to finance (A2F) particularly focusing on the development of a collateral registry.

We supported the programme on its MRM, learning and adaptation systems. Work included the design of evaluations on outcomes and impact for DFID/FCDO and wider audiences. A pre-post evaluation using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods was designed to assess the impact of a business registration single window operational in Lubumbashi, in Katanga Province, and founded with the support of the Essor project. We designed the research, which Essor commissioned the local company Forcier Consulting to undertake.

The research found cost savings of USD 123 (£100) for firms starting a business and a time saving of 21 days, which was a critical finding for Essor to demonstrate its impact to its client the FCDO. We were also able to demonstrate using advanced statistical methods, qualitative and strategic impacts of the single window (Guichet Unique - GUCE) in terms of trust in Government of DRC institutions, and reductions in the need for corrupt payments.

The final study can be found here.