Investment Promotion Strategies Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Investment promotion officers, Economic development managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-PP-015

Before you join: Participants should have at least two years of experience in public administration, investment promotion, economic development, trade, industry, infrastructure, regulation or related advisory work.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Investment promotion agencies, ministries and subnational authorities face intense competition for projects that create jobs, exports, supplier demand and productive capacity. A persuasive pitch alone is insufficient. Decision-makers must identify investable sectors, understand investor location criteria, prepare credible project propositions and select incentives that address genuine market failures without creating excessive fiscal cost or weak compliance. They must also coordinate permits, land, infrastructure, workforce and aftercare across public agencies.

This course develops the practical methods used to design and run an investment promotion programme. Participants assess the investment climate, segment investor markets, prioritise target sectors, build investment propositions and organise lead generation. They learn to evaluate fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, estimate costs and benefits, establish eligibility rules, negotiate responsibly and monitor investor commitments. The programme also addresses investment facilitation, investor grievance management, local supplier development, responsible business conduct and policy advocacy based on investor evidence.

Teaching combines focused briefings with government, economic zone, infrastructure and export-oriented manufacturing cases. Participants work through investor screening decisions, incentive appraisal, project preparation, agency coordination and negotiation scenarios. Throughout the course, they progressively assemble an investment promotion strategy for a selected jurisdiction or sector. They leave with a structured strategy package, including sector priorities, investor targets, a value proposition, an incentive assessment, an implementation roadmap and performance measures suitable for management review.

The course is designed for public officials and agency professionals with responsibility for investment, industrial development, trade, economic zones, business regulation or regional development. It is also relevant to infrastructure agencies and public-private partnership units that need to position projects for credible private investment.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose investment climate constraints using investor journey mapping and policy evidence
  • Prioritise target sectors using competitiveness criteria, value-chain analysis and scoring matrices
  • Develop investor value propositions grounded in location factors and project economics
  • Design investment incentive packages using additionality, cost-benefit and fiscal-risk tests
  • Structure lead generation and account management through investor segmentation and CRM pipelines
  • Prepare bankable investment project profiles with data-room requirements and risk registers
  • Negotiate investor commitments, performance conditions and compliance provisions
  • Present a complete investment promotion strategy with implementation and monitoring arrangements

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce defensible sector priorities rather than relying on broad promotional claims
  • Assess incentive requests with clearer fiscal, economic and legal reasoning
  • Handle investor meetings using structured qualification and follow-up methods
  • Prepare decision-ready project profiles for senior officials and prospective investors
  • Build a portfolio of reusable promotion, facilitation and aftercare tools

For your organisation

  • Improves targeting of scarce promotion budgets toward higher-potential investor segments
  • Reduces poorly structured incentive awards and unmanaged fiscal exposure
  • Creates more consistent investor handling across agencies, regions and economic zones
  • Strengthens conversion of enquiries into facilitated investment projects
  • Links investment attraction activity to jobs, exports, suppliers and policy reform evidence

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can define an investment promotion mandate, service model and governance structure.

  • Investment promotion functions: image building, targeting, facilitation, aftercare and advocacy
  • Agency mandates compared with ministry, zone authority and regional roles
  • Investor journey mapping from first enquiry through expansion decision
  • Service standards for response times, confidentiality and case ownership
  • Governance arrangements linking boards, ministries, local authorities and regulators
  • Annual operating plans aligned with national development and industrial policy

Participants can interpret investment patterns and identify the drivers behind location decisions.

  • Greenfield, expansion, joint venture and acquisition investment decision patterns
  • FDI data sources: UNCTAD, central banks, business registries and surveys
  • Location determinants: market access, costs, skills, infrastructure and institutions
  • Corporate site selection stages from longlist through final location choice
  • Investment motives classified as market-seeking, efficiency-seeking, resource-seeking and strategic
  • Reading investor announcements without confusing announced values and realised investment

Participants can diagnose barriers affecting investor entry, operation and expansion.

  • Investor journey diagnostic covering establishment, construction, operation and expansion
  • Regulatory burden mapping through permits, licences, inspections and approvals
  • Problem-tree analysis separating symptoms, constraints, causes and responsible institutions
  • Business surveys translated into evidence for administrative and policy reform
  • Benchmarking peer locations using comparable indicators and documented assumptions
  • Reform prioritisation using impact, feasibility, ownership and implementation sequencing

Participants can select priority sectors using transparent economic and investor criteria.

  • Sector longlisting from national accounts, trade data and employment statistics
  • Revealed comparative advantage analysis using export specialisation indicators
  • Value-chain mapping identifies activities, suppliers, bottlenecks and upgrading opportunities
  • Multi-criteria decision analysis scores sectors against weighted selection criteria
  • Market attractiveness assessed through demand growth, margins and entry barriers
  • Location competitiveness tested against skills, inputs, logistics and utilities

Participants can identify priority investor segments and construct target account lists.

  • Investor segmentation by sector, geography, investment motive and project scale
  • Ideal investor profiles specify capabilities, sourcing needs and location requirements
  • Target account lists built from industry databases and supply-chain intelligence
  • Account scoring ranks strategic fit, likelihood, impact and engagement readiness
  • Buyer personas distinguish corporate executives, site selectors and technical advisers
  • Contact strategies match messages, channels, timing and decision-maker roles

Participants can create evidence-based location propositions for defined investor segments.

  • Value proposition canvas connects investor pains, gains and location attributes
  • Proof points substantiate claims with verifiable data, cases and service commitments
  • Location narratives differentiate national, regional, zone and project propositions
  • Competitor positioning compares relevant alternatives rather than generic peer countries
  • Investor pitch decks structure opportunity, evidence, proposition and next actions
  • Message testing checks relevance, credibility, clarity and differentiation

Participants can prepare credible investment opportunities for market engagement.

  • Project origination identifies investable assets, service gaps and expansion opportunities
  • Pre-feasibility screening tests demand, inputs, site readiness and delivery risks
  • Project concept notes define sponsor, investment need, revenue model and timeline
  • Data-room checklists organise legal, technical, commercial and environmental evidence
  • Site profiles document land tenure, utilities, access, zoning and permits
  • Risk registers assign owners, mitigations, deadlines and escalation routes

Participants can plan targeted investor outreach and manage qualified leads.

  • Marketing funnels track awareness, enquiry, qualified lead, visit and commitment
  • Campaign objectives set target accounts, conversion measures, budget and timeline
  • Outbound prospecting combines direct outreach, intermediaries, events and missions
  • Lead qualification uses BANT criteria: budget, authority, need and timing
  • Customer relationship management records contacts, actions, opportunities and ownership
  • Follow-up cadences maintain momentum after meetings, missions and site visits

Participants can design facilitation services that reduce investor transaction costs.

  • One-stop shop models distinguish information, coordination and delegated approval functions
  • Case management protocols define milestones, owners, escalations and investor communications
  • Permit matrices map requirements, agencies, statutory timelines and dependencies
  • Service-level agreements establish response standards between participating public agencies
  • Site visit programmes coordinate logistics, technical meetings and decision evidence
  • Investor grievance mechanisms record cases, remedies, deadlines and closure evidence

Participants can determine when incentives are justified and when they are not.

  • Market failure tests distinguish additionality from transfers and rent-seeking
  • Investment incentives classified as fiscal, financial, regulatory and service-based
  • Additionality assessment asks whether investment proceeds without public support
  • Policy objectives link incentives to jobs, exports, innovation or regional development
  • Incentive neutrality considers distortions between firms, sectors and locations
  • Sunset clauses prevent permanent support without periodic policy review

Participants can design fiscal incentives with transparent costs and control mechanisms.

  • Tax holiday design considers duration, eligibility, carry-forwards and revenue loss
  • Investment tax credits compared with accelerated depreciation and exemptions
  • Tax expenditure estimates calculate foregone revenue under stated assumptions
  • Fiscal cost models incorporate customs, corporate tax, payroll and VAT effects
  • Refundable versus non-refundable credits assessed against administrative capacity
  • Eligibility thresholds define project size, sector, location and qualifying expenditure

Participants can select non-fiscal support that addresses practical investment constraints.

  • Land, infrastructure and training support assessed against investor constraints
  • Matching grants designed with eligible costs, co-financing and verification
  • Workforce development packages align training providers, curricula and hiring commitments
  • Utility connection commitments specify capacity, tariff basis and delivery responsibilities
  • Fast-track approvals balance investment timelines, legal safeguards and equal treatment
  • Supplier development support links anchor investors with qualified domestic firms

Participants can evaluate incentive proposals using economic, fiscal and risk criteria.

  • Cost-benefit analysis identifies fiscal costs, jobs, exports and externalities
  • Net present value calculations compare discounted benefits and public costs
  • Sensitivity analysis tests assumptions on employment, wages, exports and profitability
  • Deadweight loss estimates benefits awarded for investment that would occur anyway
  • Scenario analysis compares base case, downside case and high-impact case
  • Decision memoranda present recommendation, evidence, conditions and residual risks

Participants can specify enforceable investor commitments and incentive conditions.

  • Performance agreements define investment, jobs, milestones and reporting obligations
  • Clawback provisions recover benefits after material non-compliance or withdrawal
  • Disbursement schedules link support to verified milestones and eligible expenditure
  • Force majeure clauses distinguish genuine disruption from ordinary commercial risk
  • Audit rights provide access to records, sites and supporting documentation
  • State aid and non-discrimination principles inform legally consistent incentive administration

Participants can conduct structured negotiations while protecting public value.

  • BATNA analysis establishes alternatives before investor and government negotiation
  • Negotiation mandates define authority limits, red lines and approval routes
  • Issue matrices separate investor requests, public interests and tradeable terms
  • Package design combines incentives, services, obligations and phased commitments
  • Concession requests tested against benchmarks, additionality and fiscal affordability
  • Negotiation records document offers, decisions, conditions and accountable signatories

Participants can manage investor relationships to retain operations and generate expansions.

  • Key account management assigns relationship owners and engagement plans
  • Investor aftercare visits identify operational barriers, expansion plans and supplier needs
  • Early-warning indicators detect relocation risk, compliance concerns and declining activity
  • Reinvestment pipelines track expansion opportunities, decision dates and required support
  • Supplier linkage programmes identify local firms meeting buyer quality requirements
  • Exit interviews capture reasons for closure, relocation or investment cancellation

Participants can integrate environmental, social and governance criteria into promotion decisions.

  • Responsible business conduct expectations address labour, environment, governance and community impacts
  • Environmental and social screening identifies material project risks before promotion
  • SDG alignment maps investment outcomes to measurable development priorities
  • Gender-responsive investment promotion identifies barriers affecting women-owned supplier businesses
  • Climate risk screening assesses physical exposure, transition risks and adaptation needs
  • Due diligence questions test investor compliance history, ownership and operating standards

Participants can measure promotion performance and convert investor evidence into reform proposals.

  • Results frameworks connect activities, outputs, outcomes and development impacts
  • Key performance indicators distinguish leads, projects, realised investment and jobs
  • Attribution methods separate agency contribution from wider market conditions
  • Investor perception surveys collect structured evidence on barriers and service quality
  • CRM dashboards report pipeline value, conversion rates, bottlenecks and ownership
  • Policy advocacy briefs state evidence, reform options, responsible agencies and deadlines

Participants can convert investment promotion priorities into an accountable delivery plan.

  • Implementation roadmaps sequence reforms, campaigns, projects and institutional actions
  • RACI matrices assign responsible, accountable, consulted and informed parties
  • Budget plans allocate staff, research, missions, marketing and investor services
  • Risk management plans identify political, legal, delivery and reputational risks
  • Interagency steering committees establish decisions, meeting cycles and escalation procedures
  • Quarterly review routines use pipeline evidence, service data and reform progress

Participants can build, review and present a complete investment promotion strategy for a selected jurisdiction or sector.

  • Diagnostic findings synthesised into priority constraints, opportunities and investor segments
  • Sector choices justified through competitiveness evidence and weighted scoring
  • Investor value proposition supported by location data and credible proof points
  • Incentive framework specifies rationale, eligibility, costs, conditions and governance
  • Implementation roadmap assigns actions, budgets, owners, milestones and risks
  • Performance dashboard defines pipeline, investment, jobs, exports and reform indicators

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Investment climate diagnostic template
  2. Sector prioritisation scoring matrix
  3. Investor value proposition canvas
  4. Incentive cost-benefit appraisal model
  5. Investor facilitation case-management checklist
  6. Investment promotion strategy pack

Who should attend

  • Investment promotion officers — need structured methods for attracting and retaining priority investors
  • Economic development managers — need evidence-based sector and location development plans
  • Industry and trade ministry officials — need workable investment policy and incentive arrangements
  • Special economic zone managers — need stronger investor propositions and tenant servicing systems
  • Regional development officials — need tools to market locations and coordinate project delivery
  • PPP and infrastructure professionals — need to position public projects for private investment

Skills and tools covered

Investment climate diagnosisSector prioritisationIncentives appraisalInvestor targetingProject facilitationAftercare management

Tools and standards

OECD Policy Framework for Investment, UNCTAD Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, Cost-Benefit Analysis

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings, guided analysis of investment agency cases, group work and structured simulations. Participants assess sector evidence, compare locations, screen investor enquiries, appraise incentives and prepare project materials using supplied templates. Negotiation and facilitation scenarios test coordination between investment agencies, ministries, regulators and local authorities. Each participant applies the methods to a jurisdiction, sector or project relevant to their role, receiving peer and instructor review before the final strategy presentation.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of experience in public administration, investment promotion, economic development, trade, industry, infrastructure, regulation or related advisory work. They should be comfortable reading policy documents, basic financial tables and economic data such as employment, exports, investment and tax figures. Familiarity with their jurisdiction's investment laws, agencies and priority sectors is useful. Prior experience in investor negotiations, financial modelling, marketing or cost-benefit analysis is not required. The course explains required analytical tools before participants apply them.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need working familiarity with public-sector economic development, investment, trade, industry, infrastructure or regulation. Specialist experience in tax policy, financial modelling or investor negotiations is not required.

Bring available information on your jurisdiction, priority sectors, investment laws, incentive schemes or current investor challenges. A laptop is useful for working with templates, although course materials are provided.

It suits investment promotion agency staff, ministry officials, economic zone managers, regional development teams and infrastructure or PPP professionals. It is most useful for people who contribute to investor attraction, facilitation, incentive decisions or aftercare.

This course focuses on the investor decision process and the public systems required to convert interest into compliant, productive investment. It gives particular attention to target accounts, project preparation, facilitation, incentives, negotiation and investor retention.

Participants can use the diagnostic, sector scoring, investor targeting, incentive appraisal and case-management tools with current assignments. The final strategy package can be adapted for an agency plan, sector initiative, investment zone or priority project.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, providing about 6.5 contact hours daily. The first part builds diagnostic, targeting and project preparation skills; the later part covers incentives, negotiations, aftercare, implementation and the final capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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