The mission of the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) is to promote the creation of a strong private sector in developing and/or emerging countries, to enable them to gain access to sustainable development and lasting social prosperity and thus reduce poverty. BIO invests directly in private sector projects and thus makes a structural contribution to the socio-economic growth of those host countries.

BIO works as a catalyst by operating in areas that are generally neglected by the commercial banks as they believe the risk factor is too high. The financial returns are clearly very important, but BIO also takes into account other parameters that are equally essential, by investing in projects that contribute to sustainable development and that offer a definitive socio-economic added value.

Belgium, on behalf of the Ministry for Development Cooperation, actively helps to accomplish the Millennium Objectives, which state that extreme poverty (an income of less than 1$ a day) must be reduced by half between now and 2015, with respect to 1990. BIO sees itself as a dynamic player that works to create efficient entrepreneurship that will pave the way for social equilibrium and a truly sustainable development economy.