Our impact: Supporting small-scale farmers

    Our impact

    What we achieve – Development effects of our work

    Our work benefits people, businesses and countries. We ensure our customers can maximise opportunities, open up new markets and compete successfully. In doing so, they create qualified jobs and income and are also actively committed to education and training for their staff. In addition, they also boost economic growth, create local value and support the transfer of know-how. Their taxes and export earnings contribute to government revenue and foreign exchange earnings – funds that are needed for investments in infrastructure, education, health, etc.

    A focus on resilience: Development Report 2024

    Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals

    Through their financial success and responsible operations, the companies supported by DEG are driving forward sustainable development in line with the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations. The 2030 Agenda, which encompasses 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aims to improve living conditions for all humans and protect the planet. Every customer we provide financing with commits to achieving defined development goals. If particular challenges arise, DEG provides additional support in the form of advice. We use a transparent procedure to measure further development.

    Understanding Impact: Our Approach

    Graphical overview: DEG drives impact as a transformative partner to the private sector.

    Our impact logic is based on a clearly defined Theory of Change. It explains how our financing and advisory services generate tangible development impacts – from direct outcomes for our clients to long-term positive effects on society and the environment. Based on this framework, we systematically plan, manage, and assess the development contributions of our work.

    Read more about our Theory of Changehere.

    Further information

    How we measure development effects

    The DERa assesses and rates individual clients’ contribution to development and follows up on changes in performance since DEG’s investment.

    We evaluate our work

    Internally and externally executed topic-based evaluations are important tools which we can harness to make DEG's work even more effective.

    Focus: Gender-lens investing

    How can companies and financial institutions make a targeted contribution to the empowerment of women in developing countries?