Projects

This project aims to set up a Regional Fund to provide Central American Integration System (SICA) countries with funds to run projects that both address and prevent natural disasters.

This is done in a context of the region’s vulnerability to climate change. To that end, the EU is putting together € 4 925 000 (out of € 1 705 495 000 as total investment with lead partner CABEI) towards the setup of a Regional Fund. These investments contribute to the mitigation of the impact by extreme events, while improving capacity to deal with climate change. For these reasons, the Fund serves as a catalyst to ensure focused action is maintained at national and international levels.

More specifically, the Fund aims to help build SICA countries’ capacities in the development of viable climate change projects by providing technical assistance for project preparation. It does so by facilitating:

  • Climate risk assessment and studies for the development of disaster warnin...
Sector: General Environment Protection    |   Projected total investment size: € 1 705 495 000    |   EU contribution: € 4 925 000
Dates: Dec/2021 - Dec/2026    |   Status: ONGOING    |   Countries: Belize, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

The TIF Program has a three-pillar framework (financial, social and environmental, known as Triple Bottom Line) and a twofold objective: downscaling financial services -being more inclusive and tackling the bottom of the pyramid- and promoting climate-smart finance. 

The TIF Program, led by COFIDES, aims at bringing together the tools, actors and financing necessary to improve access to finance for low-income populations whilst reducing climate risk and vulnerability, especially in the case of smallholder farmers. More specifically, this initiative seeks to reduce climate risk in lending portfolios of Financial Service Providers and scaling up climate-smart lending, especially to urban and rural micro, medium and small-sized enterprises with no or limited access to the formal financial sector, including also small to medium and smallholder farmers.

TIF provides support to Financial Service Providers serving MSMEs through the provision of long-term loans (Debt Facili...

Sector: Banking and financial services    |   Projected total investment size: € 59 450 000    |   EU contribution: € 6 050 000
Dates: Oct/2020 - Oct/2025    |   Status: ONGOING    |   Countries: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru

The Seed Capital Risk Financing component for the Dinamica initiative addresses the bottlenecks identified in the Central American region, specifically regarding the accessibility of new and innovative enterprises to finance solutions in order to start their operations, be consolidated and grow. 

The project, implemented by KfW and CABEI, provides vital start capital as contingent grants which is complemented by technical assistance for capacity building to Financial Intermediaries and MSMEs. 

By doing this, the component contributes to developing entrepreneurship and innovation and is therefore an ideal complement to the DINAMICA I initiative. The project promotes equitable socio-economic development and stimulates employment in the private sector. 

Sector: Support to SMEs    |   Projected total investment size: € 75 290 000    |   EU contribution: € 12 350 000
Dates: Dec/2018 - Dec/2027    |   Status: ONGOING    |   Countries: Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

The Green MSMEs lnitiative aims at reducing carbon emissions in the Central American Region by ensuring the provision of financial and non-financial services to support renewable power generation and energy efficiency measures in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. In order to do so, the lnitiative contains three main components:

  • Technical Assistance for MSMEs as well as Participating Financial lntermediaries,
  • Partial Risk Guarantees for MSMEs,
  • Financing (loans) for Environmental lnvestments for MSMEs.

This lnitiative represents a continuation of the "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programme for SME in Central America". The mentioned Program was successfully implemented and the achievements and lessons learnt constituted the basis for this Initiative implemented by KfW and CABEI.

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Sector: Support to SMEs    |   Projected total investment size: € 62 480 000    |   EU contribution: € 14 380 000
Dates: Dec/2018 - Dec/2034    |   Status: ONGOING    |   Countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

The eco.business Fund is a joint initiative of investors intent on supporting the promotion of business and consumption practices that contribute to biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of natural resources, climate change mitigation and adaptation to its impact. In providing financing to the Fund’s target group for investing in activities that conserve nature and foster biodiversity, the eco.business Fund seeks investments that yield both financial and environmental returns. The financing can be provided directly or through local financial institutions. In addition, final beneficiaries and local lending institutions can count on high impact technical assistance provided by the eco.business Development Facility. The project is led by KfW and managed by Finance in Motion.

Sector: Support to SMEs    |   Projected total investment size: € 661 778 893    |   EU contribution: € 16 410 000
Dates: Dec/2016 - Feb/2033    |   Status: ONGOING    |   Countries: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru

The Geothermal Development Facility for Latin America aims at overcoming existing barriers to the development of geothermal energy by providing: (i) a tailored Geothermal Risk Mitigation Fund in order to diminish geothermal resource risk during the exploratory drilling stage of the project; (ii) geothermal investment financing windows to deliver anchor financing for subsequent investments during the production drilling and construction stages; and (iii) a Technical Assistance Forum to offer a suitable venue for policy dialogue between donors and partner governments. The project is led by KfW and counts with the support from the European Union through LACIF and CABEI, JICA, CAF, EIB, IDB, AFD, the World Bank.

Sector: Sustainable energy    |   Projected total investment size: € 71 000 000    |   EU contribution: € 20 500 000
Dates: Dec/2014 - Dec/2026    |   Status: ONGOING    |   Countries: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru

The LACIF contribution to this AECID-led initiative aims to improve water and sewerage infrastructures and contribute to reducing the risk of diseases caused by deficient water management in the Latin American region through the development of various projects. These are grouped into two components: Component I, projects for adaptation to climate change (ACC) and Component II, projects for the integrated management of water resources.

The projects include the reinforcement of capacities associated with the programs; studies developed in the pre-investment phase to identify new investments in new actions; review of regulations and the development of methodologies, tools and manuals which have an impact on future investments.

Sector: Water supply & sanitation    |   Projected total investment size: € 883 300 000    |   EU contribution: € 15 300 000
Dates: Dec/2013 - Jun/2024    |   Status: ONGOING    |   Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

DINAMICA focused on promoting entrepreneurial and private sector development for employment and income generation in order to contribute to economic development and poverty reduction in Central America. More specifically, the project, which was led by KfW and implemented by CABEI, aimed at:

  • Promoting the entrepreneurial environment in order to facilitate the creation of new and innovative enterprises;
  • Supporting financial sector development in order to provide adequate access to finance for MSMEs.
Sector: Support to SMEs    |   Projected total investment size: € 53 106 496    |   EU contribution: € 3 952 000
Dates: Dec/2013 - Sep/2022    |   Status: COMPLETED    |   Countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

The PISASH Program was the first phase of the PROGRAMA VIDA (LIFE PROGRAM) in urban areas. The program enhanced the effective management of water resources and provided capacity building to Empresa Nicaragüense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Sanitarios (ENACAL) in its investment program. LACIF funded the construction works in the cities of Santo Tomás, Acoyapa, Bilwi and Bluefields, complementing AECID funds in the coverage of water and sanitation needs of these cities. The program had three components:

  • Component 1 - Construction and repair of drinking water and sanitation systems in Nicaraguan cities
  • Component 2 - Institutional management strengthening
  • Component 3 - Preparation of Phase II of the LIFE Program
Sector: Water supply & sanitation    |   Projected total investment size: € 320 896 719    |   EU contribution: € 51 555 842
Dates: Dec/2012 - Apr/2022    |   Status: COMPLETED    |   Countries: Nicaragua

The objective of the PNESER project was to support the efforts of the Nicaraguan government to reduce poverty by promoting access to an efficient and sustainable electricity service to an important portion of the population, thus generating the conditions to advance in the diversification of the energy matrix and the mitigation and adaptation to climate change. 

The program, implemented by EIB, included 7 components:

  • 1) Rural electrification through grid extension;
  • 2) Normalization of electricity service in human settlements;
  • 3) Electricity expansion in isolated areas through renewable energy;
  • 4) Pre-investment for renewable energy projects;
  • 5) Energy efficiency programs;
  • 6) Strengthening of the transmission system in rural areas;
  • 7) Sustainability of isolated systems under Empresa Nicaragüense de Electricidad (ENEL)'s responsibility.
  • Sector: Sustainable energy    |   Projected total investment size: € 357 450 999    |   EU contribution: € 7 200 000
    Dates: Nov/2010 - Nov/2016    |   Status: COMPLETED    |   Countries: Nicaragua

    The overall objective of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program for SMEs in Central America was to contribute to the protection of the climate and the environment. LACIF supported  KfW and CABEI at providing efficient and sustainable access to financing products for environmental investments which correspond to the needs of SMEs in Central America. The Program had two main components:

    1) Financing of environmental investments – Provision of funds by the Program Executing Agency, CABEI, to local financial institutions that channel resources to SMEs for energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy projects.  

    2) Technical Assistance, studies and promotional activities – Including technical assistance for financial institutions, energy audits of SMEs and feasibility studies of small renewable energy projects; information material and promotional events.

    Sector: Support to SMEs    |   Projected total investment size: € 36 630 000    |   EU contribution: € 3 000 000
    Dates: Nov/2010 - Dec/2016    |   Status: COMPLETED    |   Countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua