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| Value chains, linkages and service markets: Syntheses, conferences and more |
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| Making Markets Work for the Poor in Eastern and Southern Africa, ComMark Seminar, 12-14 March 2007 |
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| Country(ies) | Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania, United Republic Of, Uganda, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Implementing agency(ies) | ComMark Trust |
| Funding agency(ies) | Department for International Development (DFID) |
| Date completed | March 2007 |
| Issues/challenges | Historically, development agencies have tended to work within discrete thematic areas, such as “agriculture” or “legal environment”. Now, however, there is general agreement that growth is necessary for poverty alleviation, and that the private sector – through markets – must deliver that growth. M4P practitioners therefore address any market-based constraint that will open up major new opportunities to people living in poverty.
Agencies as diverse as DFID, CARE Canada, Swedish Sida and the Asian Development Bank and various government development agencies have adopted the approach, but it is only now that they are achieving measurable impact. This event showcased the results achieved by ComMark and others. |
| Web site | The event on Commark's Website |
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Description
The three day event was wide-ranging, with around thirty separate presentations grouped around themes such as factor markets, the role of business, international trade and globalization, agricultural value chains, service markets, HIV-AIDS, and local area development. The event attracted much interest, with over 160 participants from Government Departments, Donors and the Private Sector from across Southern and Eastern Africa. There was a particularly strong representation from RSA Government departments.
Organisations presenting their experiences included ComMark, FinMark, DFID, CGAP, Technoserve, ILO, the Tourism Enterprise Programme (TEP) and various Southern African government initiatives. In addition, private companies such as Vodacom and Woolworths told participants about their experiences in harnessing the power of markets to reach millions of new consumers; the presentations are posted below.
Emerging areas of common interest included the role of the state and “political economy” in M4P, Green issues such as sustainability and global climate change, innovative private sector approaches, opportunities at the “base of the pyramid”, overcoming informality, certification, global trade rules, the potential for regional approaches and the rise of consumer activism. The discussions highlighted the implications for whether and how M4P addresses these concerns, as well as a clear need to make M4P easier to understand and apply in a practical context.
Summary of results
A Summary of the Event, written by Alan Johnson of DFID, is posted below under b); some of the entry, above, is excerpted from that report.
In addition, here are some unsolicited comments received from participants: "I found the conference both interesting and relevant to our work, and especially appreciated the networking opportunities" "I am highly indebted to you all [the organisers]" "I really enjoyed the conference ... just wanted to say 'thank you very much'!!" "I really appreciate the valuable discussions we had ... I have learnt a great deal in the week ... it was a great experience and milestone" "It was a wonderful experience for me" "It was a great pleasure for us to participate in the ComMark conference. There was such a wealth of information from all the participants and the different case study presentations that added value."
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Associated documents |
| | » | a) Brochure for the M4P Commark Seminar (387 kB) | | » | b) Final Programme (as distributed to participants)(217 kB) | | » | b) Final Summary of the Event, by Alan Johnson (35 kB) | | » | b) List of participants (221 kB) | | » | c) Introduction to the M4P Concept, by Alan Johnson (231 kB) | | » | d) Locating M4P in the Broader PSD Debate, by Jim Tanburn (275 kB) | | » | e) How Vodacom reached out to mass markets in townships, by Minnie Maharaj (1.35 Mb) | | » | e) How Vodacom reached out to mass markets in townships, by Minnie Maharaj (few photos, 302 kB) | | » | f) Supporting Smallholder Farmers to Grow in Uganda, by Chris Balya (3.8 Mb) | | » | f) Supporting Smallholder Farmers to Grow in Uganda, by Chris Balya (no photos, 1.9 Mb) | | » | g) Making Labour Markets Work for the Poor, by Neva Makgetla (34 kB) | | » | h) Regulatory Systems and Making Urban Land Markets Work for the Poor in South Africa, by Michael Kihato (66 kB) | | » | i) Economic Regulation and Pro-poor Market Development, by Cornel van Basten (51 kB) | | » | j) Reducing the Costs of Trade: Lessons from Malaba One Stop Border Post, by Silas Kanamugurie (2.5 Mb) | | » | k) Role of Certification in Developing the Natural Products Sector, by Kristy Faccer (267 kB) | | » | l) Strengthening the Ability of South Africa's Apparel Industry to Influence and Inform Government through its Employers' Association, by Jack Kipling (132 kB) | | » | m) Environmental and Social Consciousness - Global Trends in Clothing Retail, by Emil Grey (889 kB) | | » | n) Mbeya High Quality Rice Producers, by Joseph Burke (264 kB) | | » | o) Expanding Opportunities for Poor Dairy Farmers in Kenya, by Wanjiku Guchu (579 kB) | | » | p) Making International Tourism Markets Serve the Poor in South Africa, by Tim Anderson (311 kB) | | » | q) Improving Access to Business Services: Lessons Learnt from Umsobomvu Youth Fund Voucher Programme, by Mapitso Nchapha (184 kB) | | » | r) Experiences of the Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS (ALAFA), by Andy Salm (1.2 Mb) | | » | s) Training People in Small Businesses in Zambia to Cope with AIDS, by Tapera Muzira (886 kB) | | » | t) Moving the "Access Frontier" in Financial Service Markets, by Mark Napier (175 kB) | | » | u) Providing Financial Services at the 'Base of the Pyramid', by Brian Richardson (1.8 Mb) | | » | v) Credit Regulation: Limiting Access to Financial Services or Protecting Low Income Consumers? by Rashid Ahmed (658 kB) | | » | w) A Cluster Approach to Regional Sector Development: Lessons from the Western Cape, by Nigel Gwynne-Evans (172 kB) | | » | x) Linking Local Economic Development with International Markets: A Study of the Craft Sector in South Africa, by Kate Philip (591 kB) | | » | y) Making Markets for Cashew, Coffee and Bananas Work for the Poor in Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya, by Leslie Johnston (263 kB) | | » | za) Reaching Scale in the Wool Markets of South Africa, by Norma Tregurtha (106 kB) | | » | zb) Informing and Empowering the Rural Poor through Mass Media, by Gavin Anderson (1.5 Mb) | | » | zc) Developing Value Chains in Zimbabwe: Lessons from SNV, by Jonathan Kagoro (2.6 Mb) | | » | zd) Experiences in Local Economic Development and Markets, Including Building a Market for LED Expertise, by Shawn Cunningham (82 kB) | | » | ze) Some Forces that will Shape our Field's Future, by Kate McKee (1.6 Mb) | | » | zf) Future Directions and Developing a Regional Community of Practice, by Jim Tanburn (202 kB) |
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