Company brochure

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Delivering real impact, value and lasting change

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Our company

Adam Smith International is an award-winning professional services business that delivers real impact, value and lasting change through projects supporting economic growth and government reform internationally. We specialise in the design, management and delivery of complex projects. Often working in challenging environments and conflict affected areas, we have a proven track record of achieving tangible results.

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Our focus

Our focus is on delivering projects that can bring the greatest impact and which support the strengthening of societies around the world and the prospects of those who live within them. We exist to deliver projects that provide long-term benefits and sustainable results.

Delivering Real Impact

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Our Global Footprint

We work in every continent and have a broad range of experience in each. We have a global office network in the UK, Africa, South Asia and Asia Pacific, along with numerous programme offices throughout the world. West Africa Adam Smith International first worked in Ghana fifteen years ago and we have since established a reputation for delivering significant results on ambitious and complex projects in the West Africa region. We have numerous ongoing projects in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our work in infrastructure in Nigeria is award-winning. Our long-standing presence in the region has enabled us to build an extensive network of local and international advisers to apply international best practice to the challenges of development specific to this region.

Americas & Caribbean Adam Smith International’s work in the Americas, with the exception of some advisory work in Canada, has largely been in Central and South America, and the Caribbean. We have advised a wide range of countries in the Caribbean. In South America, we have been active in Ecuador, Peru and Guyana.

Central & Southern Africa We have carried out extensive advisory activities in Central and Southern Africa. These are predominantly financed by donor agencies, with some directly funded by governments, such as those of South Africa and Botswana. Our past portfolio includes extensive work in Rwanda, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. We continue to work on major private sector development programmes in Malawi and Zimbabwe, and a long running programme of support to the revenue authority in Burundi. Since 2013, we have been implementing a major infrastructure and climate resilience programme based in Pretoria and focused on seven countries across Southern Africa.

Our Offices

London | Headquarters Nairobi | Africa New Delhi | South Asia Sydney | Asia Pacific

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Regions The Americas & Caribbean Central & Southern Africa West Africa East Africa Middle East & North Africa Europe & Former Soviet Union Central Asia South Asia Asia Pacific

East Africa For more than ten years, Adam Smith International has provided support to governments, their ministries and security sectors, and advice on trade, private sector development, economic growth and infrastructure development across East Africa. The region is one of our most active and we have numerous projects across several service lines . In July 2007, Adam Smith International’s first African subsidiary business was incorporated in Kenya. Based in Nairobi, it operates as a regional hub supporting our portfolio of work in Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and elsewhere. Our permanent presence means that we are well equipped to respond effectively and rapidly - with sensitivity to local conditions - to government and donor requirements. We have developed a particular strength in supporting programmes that are politically sensitive or located in conflict-affected regions of East Africa.


Europe & Former Soviet Union Adam Smith International’s first ever project was in Poland. Since then, we have worked with the first Eastern European countries to regain democracy – Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as Russia and the states of the former Soviet Union (Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Tajikistan). More recently, we have worked with the Greek Government to review approaches to civil service and revenue reforms.

Central Asia We have several long-running and award-winning projects based in Afghanistan and given our extensive presence in the country, we have a corporate office based in Kabul. We also continue a long-running programme of support to the Mongolian Government.

South Asia Adam Smith International has had a strong presence in South Asia since 1998, when we began to deliver a number of major economic growth programmes across the region - most notably in India. Adam Smith International’s first regional subsidiary office was established in Delhi in 2004, with project offices in Kathmandu and Islamabad. We have provided advice to a wide range of countries over the last twenty years, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar/Burma. The South Asia office currently oversees major projects in Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh across a range of service lines including education development, private sector development, public financial management and public administration reform.

Middle East & North Africa

Asia Pacific

Middle East and North Africa is a region in which Adam Smith International is particularly active. We assist both the resource-rich countries of the region and those which do not benefit from significant oil and gas reserves. We also play major roles in those Middle East countries affected by conflict. For example, we acted for over ten years as the primary advisers to the Palestine Liberation Organisation in negotiations with Israel. Since 2003, we have been working continuously to establish and support new central government institutions in Iraq.

Based in Sydney, our Asia Pacific regional office was established in 2012 to lead the management of our growing portfolio of Australian aid projects. We work with the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the New Zealand government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and partner governments in the Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam and Mongolia. We develop strategies, design and implement programmes, monitor performance and evaluate impact across a wide range of foreign aid themes and sectors in the Asia Pacific region. These include private sector development, extractive industries governance, research and evaluation, trade and investment, agriculture and rural development, social protection, infrastructure, law and justice, education and human resource development, health, public financial management, gender and ending violence against women.

We have been particularly active advising a range of resource-rich countries, including UAE and Libya on the reform of their government institutions and systems of public administration. We have a strong team of advisers with deep experience of the region.

Delivering Real Impact

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Our Services 6

Private Sector Development

Infrastructure Development

Strengthening the private sector to encourage inclusive economic growth.

Connecting communities and enabling inclusive economic growth.

Working with a wide range of private sector and government organisations, we deliver innovative and practical solutions that improve business environments, develop local markets, and provide the private sector with the resources they need to generate sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Our innovative and award-winning infrastructure development programmes have greatly improved the performance of many developing and transitional economies. By tackling the inefficiency and financial burden imposed on communities by underperforming infrastructure, we support governments in achieving their social, economic and political aims.


We provide award-winning services across 11 areas. We believe that high performance across these areas is essential for effective development. Public Administration Reform

Justice, Security & Peacebuilding

Working with governments to develop their administrations.

Supporting governments and societies to improve justice, policing and security.

We support governments globally, including in the most fragile states, to strengthen administrations to facilitate economic growth and deliver services to citizens more effectively and efficiently. Specifically, we develop central policy coordination, support ministries to enhance their core functions, improve civil service management and establish internal and external accountability mechanisms.

We focus on improving the quality, accessibility and accountability of justice, policing and security services provided to citizens by the state, traditional authorities and communities. Our goal is to strengthen the rule of law, democratic governance, political stability and economic growth.

Delivering Real Impact

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Revenue Reform

Public Financial Management

Supporting governments to increase revenue, promote private sector development and tackle poverty.

Promoting transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.

Our award-winning programmes have supported many governments to transform and enhance their revenue performance, helping to generate higher revenue to finance public services and providing confidence for investors, businesses and citizens.

We support governments to develop the foundations for effective management of public finances, creating a sustainable environment for economic growth and delivery of public services. Together we lay the foundation for both a stable and fair tax base and transparent, neutral and accountable expenditure processes, along with appropriate management and monitoring systems.

Extractive Industries Governance

Climate Change

Supporting governments to develop extractive industries to deliver sustainable and equitable impact.

Empowering vulnerable communities to manage and adapt to the effects of climate change.

We are a leading international authority on the governance of the oil, gas and mining industries in the developing world. Our experts support governments and communities to develop extractive sectors that generate significant and inclusive economic growth.

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We are recognised as a thought leader in climate resilient infrastructure and apply expertise to develop financial mechanisms, infrastructure and support programmes that help countries secure a greener future. We equip vulnerable communities in building both the knowledge and financial strength to implement effective climate mitigation policies and the adaptation practices that support them.


Education Development

Civil Society & Demand-Side Accountability

Supporting governments and institutions to develop and deliver equitable and sustainable education solutions.

Supporting societies to increase governmental accountability.

We have significant experience in improving education service delivery across a number of developing countries. We work with governments and other providers to seek creative solutions that improve quality, access and equity in the provision of education for all.

We strengthen the ability of societies to hold their governments accountable for delivering services. We build the capacity of civil society, the media, parliaments and trade associations to define their priorities and concerns, to voice them persuasively to government, and to monitor its performance against those priorities. We provide training, mentoring, funding and relationship facilitation to improve the confidence and skills of both individuals and organisations.

Cross-Cutting Services Supporting governments and communities with cross-service interventions to strengthen societies. We deliver a range of cross-cutting services that support and form part of our work across our services, or are delivered as discrete stand-alone interventions. These include support in communications, fund management, gender and social inclusion, monitoring and evaluation, political economy analysis, and programme scoping and design.

Delivering Real Impact

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When you work with us, you benefit from our commitments to... Going the extra mile

We employ the best people in our industry organised across specific service lines. We deliver results beyond expectations because of the quality and dedication of our exceptional project managers and world-class technical experts.

delivering results

Pragmatic solutions

We derive solutions from an international pool of experienced colleagues, but tailor this relevantly and sensitively to what will work best at a local level.

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beyond expectations


100 countries

experience across

multiple service lines

Local partnership and ownership

Technical excellence

Lasting results

Professional standards

We put emphasis on working in partnership We have international breadth and depth of with local stakeholders to build the ownership experience across more than 100 countries needed to achieve lasting change. and numerous service lines addressing key development issues.

We don’t just advise on problems to be solved – we implement solutions. We effectively manage risk and engage seriously with political economy issues to ensure sustainable impact.

We promote quality and never take shortcuts. We are known for delivering to the highest standards and managing our programmes and closely.

Delivering Real Impact 11


Our values Take responsibility

Promote quality

Individually and collectively accountable for what we do.

We maintain and promote professional standards in everything we do.

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Commit to the outcome

Always find a way

We take pride in delivering our best to achieve results.

We think innovatively to reach a solution.

Delivering Real Impact 13


Our results speak for themselves We continually earn widespread recognition and awards as practical innovators creating lasting change even in the most challenging of environments.

Supporting Afghanistan in achieving significant increases in domestic revenue In 2002, 90% of Afghanistan’s revenue derived from international aid. By 2011/12, with our long-term support, the Government had raised its revenues nine-fold, taking the tax-GDP ratio from 3% to 12%. We continue to assist the Government with reforms that will consolidate and expand these revenue gains. Winn er

International Awards 2010

Somalia Stability Fund We manage the Stability Fund, an ambitious and innovative multi-donor fund supporting peace and stability in Somalia through a portfolio of projects totalling ÂŁ30m. Key activities include a diverse range of community-driven development and peace-building initiatives, and support in developing competent and inclusive federal and sub-national government structures.

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Supporting Burundi’s Revenue Authority

CRIDF: Providing Sustainable Water Solutions

We have been supporting the Office Burundais des Recettes to improve its collection capability since its 2009 establishment and have helped it increase revenue by 85%. Burundi is lauded by the East African Bribery Index as having the most improved revenue administration in the region, jumping 22 places in the World Bank’s Doing Business Index 2011-2013.

The Climate Resilient Infrastructure Development Facility assists communities in the Southern African region in the preparation, design, financing and implementation of water projects to ensure that they adapt to the effects of climate change. We have implemented a diverse range of projects, including irrigation infrastructure development and stretching limited water resources to arid areas.

Temporary Financing Mechanism in Libya During the uprising of 2011, in support of the Steering Board of the Temporary Financing Mechanism, we handled $1.6bn of Libyan and international donor funds to maintain public service delivery – paying for national fuel supplies, salaries, family support payments and medical payments for injured Libyans in hospitals across north Africa and Europe.

Delivering Real Impact 15


GEMS3: Promoting a better business environment for Nigerian citizens We work with private and public stakeholders at national, state and local government level to build a systematic framework to enable business activity in Nigeria, offering lasting improvements in economic opportunities for the disadvantaged, particularly for women. To date, 250,000 enterprises have benefited from increased sales of £80m and £161m in private sector investment has been committed.

NIAF: Increasing access to improved infrastructure NIAF has achieved outstanding success in providing increased access to improved, reliable and affordable infrastructure services in Nigeria. NIAF provides independent policy, planning, economic and financial advice aimed at removing infrastructure bottlenecks and catalysing economic growth. It is widely regarded as one of DFID Nigeria’s success stories.

KEEP: Improving educational access, quality and equity for Kenya’s most disadvantaged children KEEP is an ambitious and innovative programme developing evidence-based solutions to improve educational access, quality and equity in the least affluent areas of Kenya. KEEP covers both supply and demand-side educational interventions to reach 300,000 children and increase literacy rates.

Creating a sustainable Iraqi government From 2004 to 2014, we have supported the establishment and development of the Prime Minister’s Office and Council of Ministers Secretariat in Baghdad. In this high profile award-winning and strategic programme, we addressed the need to develop, implement and monitor public policy and supported four administrative transitions between governments. We developed a Strategic Government Programme and provided ongoing support to a new communications unit, improving the Government’s ability to engage in public dialogue.

Supporting world-leading resource-based economic growth in Sierra Leone ENABLE: Improving advocacy and dialogue on business environment issues in Nigeria ENABLE creates sustainable and systemic change in the business environment and is unique in being the first donor programme to apply the principles of M4P and systems thinking to business environment reform. Improvements in the business environment have impacted over 2 million micro-entrepreneurs and small-scale farmers, leading to increases in income and cost savings that have so far totalled £131m.

Strengthening Afghanistan’s Budgets The Afghan budgeting process has experienced one of the most rapid increases in budget transparency in the world and has developed from being virtually non-existent to compliant with many aspects of best international practice. Afghanistan can now direct funds in a transparent manner to implement its policy priorities, a critical attribute of an effective state.

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We supported the modernisation of Sierra Leone’s mining policy and legislation, starting with the Mines & Minerals Act in 2009. We subsequently helped the establishment of the new mining regulator, the National Minerals Agency, launched by President Koroma in April 2013. These changes are fundamental to Sierra Leone’s realisation of rapid and sustainable economic growth, with GDP now increasing by 10-15% per annum.

Improving access to schooling in northwest Pakistan Our programme focuses on increasing numbers of children, particularly girls, enrolling in and completing a quality primary and secondary education. We support the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department to improve its effectiveness and we also undertake initiatives to deliver higher quality education and improve access to schools.


For an in-depth profile of any of these programmes and many more, please go to

www.adamsmithinternational.com/exploreourwork.

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Don’t take our word for it… “I have often compared the success of this relatively small project to much larger projects supported by other donors that do not deliver results. The small Adam Smith International team has achieved visible results and made CoMSec an institution that we are very proud of.” Dr Alaaq, Secretary General of the Iraqi Council of Ministers Secretariat

“...Your team of technical advisers provided the utmost in professional support. ...Your team showed excellent judgment and technical expertise. I commend you on your team’s professionalism and dedication.” James D. Wolfensohn, Former President, World Bank

“The contrast between Adam Smith International’s project and others is like day and night in terms of timeliness and effectiveness of support. Others will promise help but delay and go through various procedures, so by the time it is available it has been overtaken by events. I really appreciate the assistance. My main message is keep it going, keep it working in the same way.” Dr. Nwanze Okidegbe, Chief Economic Adviser to the President of Nigeria

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ask our clients “ I don’t often find myself in this delightful position. There are a lot of mediocre consultants in the world but very few great ones. My congratulations to Adam Smith International on an exemplary piece of work.” Donald Kaberuka, Minister of Finance of Rwanda (now President of the African Development Bank)

“Adam Smith International’s Strengthening Afghan Budgets team are invaluable. They have passion, commitment and belief in what they do. Without them, making the progress we have made over the last couple of years would have been much harder.” Zia Ur-Rahman Haleemi, Budget Policy and Reform Director, Budget Department, Ministry of Finance

“The embedded technical assistance provided through Adam Smith International has been instrumental in the significant progress of the Wash sector in Sierra Leone.” H.E Momodu Maligi III, Minister of Water Resources, Sierra Leone

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Adam Smith International is an award-winning professional services business that delivers real impact, value and lasting change through projects supporting economic growth and government reform internationally. We specialise in the design, management and delivery of complex projects. Our wide-ranging experience is grouped into two areas: Economic Growth and Government Reform. Economic Growth includes services in Private Sector Development, Infrastructure Development, Extractive Industries Governance and Climate Change. Government Reform includes services in Public Administration Reform, Justice, Security and Peace-building, Revenue Reform, Public Financial Management, Education Development, and Civil Society and Demand-Side Accountability. Often working in challenging environments and conflict affected areas, we have a proven track record of achieving tangible results.

www.adamsmithinternational.com Headquarters 3 Albert Embankment London SE1 7SP United Kingdom T: +44 20 7735 6660

Africa 2nd Floor Cavendish 14 Riverside, Riverside Drive PO Box 26721-00100 Nairobi Kenya T: +254 20 444 4388

Adam Smith International @adamsmithint Copyright Š 2014 Adam Smith International. All rights reserved.

South Asia Bharat Yuvak Bhawan 1 Jai Singh Road New Delhi 110 001 India T: +91 11 4150 2291/93/94/95

Asia Pacific 301/88 Foveaux Street Surry Hills Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T: +61 2 8265 0000


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