The principal objective of the projectwas to help foster the development of private sectorenterprises, so that they could lead the growth ofMali's economy. The project aimed at putting in placemechanisms and measures to support the government'sstrategy of breaking from past reliance on the publicsector. The project proposed to achieve this by: (a)completing implementation of improvements to the regulatoryenvironment that had been introduced starting in the lateeighties; (b) assisting a private business supportstructure, APEP, the Agence pour la Promotion del'Entreprise Privee, to coordinate a program ofinstitutional support to private non-financial enterprises;(c) improving the functioning of economic chambers(principally the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Mali),the Government's office charged with public enterprisereform, BEP, and departments of the administrationresponsible of administering regulations affecting privateenterprises; and (d) inducing the strengthening of thebanking sector and the preparation of a coherent financialsector strategy.