*2

Enhanced Private Sector Assistance ( ESPA ) for Africa
A joint initiative between Japan and the African Development Bank ( AfDB ), announced during the 2005 G8 Summit. Its purpose is to comprehensively assist development of Africa's private sector. It consists of: (1) trust funds for technological assistance to foster small and medium-sized enterprises ( SMEs ), build capacity-building at financial institutions, and measures to strengthen governance in the public sector, and (2) finance loans (co-financing with Japanese yen credit) to assist private sector development, improve the investment climate, etc.