As development funders face pressure to do more with less, the Dutch development bank FMO is ramping up how it uses technical assistance — not just to strengthen individual investments, but to help build the enabling conditions for investment itself.
Technical assistance, or TA, refers to support provided by development funders to strengthen organizations or markets — whether by helping existing clients improve impact and operations, or by funding early-stage initiatives that create the conditions for future investment.
In a recent Devex Pro Funding Live conversation, Abigail Thomson, senior technical assistance adviser at FMO, outlined how the institution is sharpening its approach to technical assistance under its 2030 strategy.