A Comprehensive Toolkit of Innovative Investment Promotion Agency Services Edition 2

Working as an investment promotion professional can be challenging, even more under the current circumstances. It requires an understanding of market dynamic, industry trends, corporate strategies and how they all interact daily. 

It also requires skills in the business of economic development and investment attraction, from best practices in investment promotion, marketing, value propositions, and lead generation through how to facilitate investment and provide business retention and expansion (aftercare) services.  

Also, unpredictable events and crises – such as the current COVID-19 pandemic – pose significant challenges for public policymakers. The IDB understands that Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) are at the forefront of business attraction and supply chain management and need to be ready to react quickly to these challenges. 

The Investment Promotion course series provides theoretical and practical tools for you to enhance your skills and knowledge as an investment promotion professional and also includes the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on international investment flows and government responses, identifies challenges, and provides access to best practices and innovative solutions. 

The Investment Promotion course series is a training curriculum for investment promotion agencies (IPAs) at a national or subnational level, export promotion organizations, economic development agencies (EDOs), diplomatic corps with a mandate to attract inward investment to their countries, people from academia, consulting companies, business associations, and related organizations that work with investment attraction and promotion and economic development from around the world. The main goal of the series is to enable you to develop a more focused strategy to bolster your countries or territories as a favorable destination for foreign direct investment. 

The course series began with Course: Towards the Next Generation of Investment Promotion Agencies, which focused on the main concepts of FDI and the IPA – its definition, functions, and strategy. It covered how an IPA should be developed and organized following best practices, also addressing sustainable development, and the services which can facilitate business establishment and expansion. This previous Course has been delivered through three editions through Spring 2020 with more than 2291 participants from 72 countries: 

Testimonies:  

“It provided me with tools to promote foreign direct investment and understanding of the proper terms of promotion agencies.” 

 “Great course and content. It helped me to get a comprehensive view regarding the cycle of investment. Activities were useful to apply theory in practice.” 

Important message: It is not a requirement to have completed or participated in Course Part 1, but, as we want you to successfully complete the course and have an enjoyable learning experience, please take note of the requirements in the section below.

Are you wondering whether you are ready for this Course Part II?  
Please consider the following questions: 

• Do you have a deep understanding of how foreign direct investment impacts economic development? 

• Do you know the types of FDI, institutional best practices and innovative programs, and the resources necessary to replicate them in your home country/territory? 

• Do you understand an IPA’s portfolio of services throughout the project cycle? 

If you can confidently answer YES to these questions, congratulations!! you are ready for Course Part II. Also, there is a chance to refresh investment promotion key concepts on module 0 of this second Course. 

The Course: “A Comprehensive Toolkit of Innovative Investment Promotion Agency Services”, which covers such important topics as nation branding and image building, aftercare services that an IPA should implement to retain companies and support their expansion and the role of policy advocacy in improving the business climate. In addition, one full course module is dedicated to informing participants about world-class innovative programs and services currently offered by other IPAs. 

The course is structured into four modules. Each module focuses on a topic, includes learning resources, activities, and an assessment.  And is designed to take from four to six hours, spread out over around one week. 

The course is aimed at officials of investment promotion agencies (IPAs) at a national or subnational level (such states, regions or cities) , export promotion organizations, economic development organizations (EDOs), trade officers, diplomatic corps with a mandate to attract inward investment to their countries, people from academia, consulting companies, business associations, and related organizations that are familiar with investment attraction and promotion, economic development and commercial facilitation.

To successfully complete the course and have an enjoyable learning experience. Please take note of the following course requirements:

- Familiarity with the topic of foreign direct investments (FDI) (required). - A university degree and three (3) years of work experience in investment promotion, exports, or in an economic development organization (preferred). – Intermediate level of English proficiency. – An available time commitment of about five hours per module (total of 24 hours). – A work supervisor/colleague with whom you can consult each week for feedback on course activities.