Weidemann Associates, Inc. is a leading international firm working in microenterprise development, economic development, Information technologies, and agriculture/agribusiness/rural development in the U.S. and developing countries. The firm has worked on projects worldwide, from Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Caucuses, to Africa, Asia, and the Near East.
Founded in 1986, Weidemann Associates adopted a strategy and management structure to support growth while maintaining consistently high quality work. Principals of Weidemann Associates have experience in over 60 countries working with international organizations, as well as private businesses, state and local governments, and non-governmental and community development organizations.
The company implements both long and short-term projects, with expertise in microenterprise and microfinance; agriculture, environment, and natural resources; economic analysis; business development; community and economic development; gender analysis; education and training; institutional development; and online grants management and results reporting systems. The firm is known for its socio-economic research and analysis, its technical documents are regarded as state-of-the-art in the field. The firm is experienced in all phases of the project cycle including project design, implementation, management, monitoring, and evaluation.
As part of most projects, Weidemann Associates develops effective online results reporting services and a start-to-finish grants management system. Improved timeliness and accuracy of reported data and real-time online monitoring of performance for program administrators are the results. Also, in the information technology arena Weidemann Associates supports microfinance institutions in the evaluation and installation of management information systems.
FOCUS AREAS
Microenterprise Design & Evaluations
Weidemann Associates and its principal associates and consultants have supported development of the microfinance industry from the early 1990’s. We have started up micro and rural finance institutions, developed new products for banks and non-bank financial institutions, turned around ailing programs, designed new activities and evaluated existing activities, organized seminars and conferences for the sector, and training practitioners.
Enterprise Development
USAID’s Office of Economic Growth of the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT/EG) has established the Business Growth Initiative (BGI) project to promote best practices in enterprise development as a critical element for Economic Growth. BGI was designed to serve as a key element in building a Community of Practice for Enterprise Development, both within USAID and its development partners and among the broader development community worldwide. This project provides technical leadership in enterprise development through both direct and indirect assistance in the following areas:
Project Monitoring & Evaluation
Weidemann Associates has also conducted assessments and evaluations for Missions and projects of USAID under the Economic Growth Office. The evaluations have examined past projects and strategies for economic growth, including agricultural development
Training and Workshops
Weidemann brings more than a decade of hands-on experience in management of training events and workshops. Conferences, seminars and training events play a critical role in communicating and disseminating work to practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and development institutions. Our conference planning work aims to strengthen professional and social results, increase financial returns for clients, and reduce client administrative burdens. We benefit our clients with operational experience in planning trainings and conferences from beginning to end, in countries around the world.
Information Systems Tools for Remote Project Administration
Recognizing the emerging access to the internet around the world, Weidemann developed tools that improve remote project administration, ease the reporting burden, lower project costs and improve data reliability. For example, the MRR system tracks results from more than 600 USAID development partners worldwide. A newly implemented online system will track 80,000 scholarships to primary school girls in 15 African countries. A grant monitoring system automates reporting for grants issued from 1996 to the present for 44 countries valued at more than $118 million.
Financial Services
Weidemann has a practice area relating to financial services for micro/small businesses. This includes best practices associated with licensing requirement to financial regulators, market analysis, and financial product development.
