Question #4: Where is support from USAID or development practitioners most impactful?

[Jenn Williamson, ACDI/VOCA]

Hi everyone! This is a question for everyone to respond to, including experts and participants:

Where is collaboration from USAID or development practitioners most impactful to support the private sector in developing and implementing inclusive market research?

Looking forward to the conversation!

[Ovidiu Bujorean]

Thank you for the excellent question Jenn. While collaboration is helpful all throughout the process, I would say it is critical in the initial phases of design so that it incorporates the most relevant and diverse perspectives into it from the get go. This will help not only the design itself to be more relevant to different stakeholders, but the process of involvement will have the added benefit of buy in and ease of implementation. 

[Gloria Enwema]

Thank you Ovidiu for your point well captured.

To elaborate further from my experience as a private sector representative working directly with development organizations, here are some areas where collaboration from USAID or development practitioners can be impactful in supporting the private sector in developing and implementing inclusive market research include;

1. Facilitating partnerships for co-creation: USAID or development practitioners can facilitate partnerships with the private sector through co-creating the tools/process for inclusive market research. This can be done through a round-table discussion to understand the perspectives of the private sector and the development practitioners to introduce KPIs that ensure the commitment required for the inclusive market research is economically viable to the private sector business model and the socio-development impact.
2. Providing technical assistance especially for MSMEs: Development practitioners can provide technical assistance to the private sector through guidance on sampling methods, survey design, and data analysis to ensure that the research is rigorous and unbiased. The development practitioners can also build local research capacity in the countries or regions where the private sector operates. This can include providing training and mentorship to local researchers, as well as supporting the development of local research institutions.
3. Sharing best practices: Development practitioners can share best practices and lessons learned from other contexts, industries, and/or countries to help the private sector develop more effective and inclusive market research strategies. For example, several of the research & development support ReelFruit is deploying in the Nigerian fruit farming sector is taken from examples and learnings from neighboring countries where the activities have worked. We have piloted some of the activities and seen the potential for inclusivity and productivity within the Nigerian fruit ecosystem in the long-run. This learning being replicated cost huge upfront investment from the private sector which could have been leveraged through the platform of the development practitioner
4. Advocating for inclusive policies and practices: Development practitioners can advocate for policies and practices that promote inclusion within the private sector. This can include working with governments to develop policies that support the inclusion of traditionally excluded groups, as well as advocating for the private sector to adopt inclusive practices and standards.

In summary, through working together, development practitioners and the private sector can create more inclusive and equitable market research practices that benefit everyone.

[Ydun]

Market systems development (MSD) programs implemented by ACDI/VOCA view the inclusion of women, youth, and other marginalized groups as critical to not only achieving development impacts for these groups but also generating more competitive, inclusive, and resilient market systems. A few areas where USAID and development practitioners can play an important role to support the private sector in developing and implementing inclusive market research are the following. 

• Investing in up-front formative research to demonstrate the value of inclusive engagement and direct project priorities toward the most impactful outcomes: ACDI/VOCA incorporates an inclusion lens at each stage of its market systems approach. The USAID Zambia EDGE Activity, implemented by ACDI/VOCA, provides a good example of integrating inclusion into formative research and program design. The Activity incorporated an inclusion lens at each stage of its approach to value chain selection through a process comprised of participatory, evidence-based sector selection, in-depth formative analysis, and the identification of the most inclusive, resilient, and competitive value chains to engage with during the Activity. EDGE led a stakeholder validation workshop with 15 representatives that revealed crucial information about women and youth’s current participation in the value chains, barriers to their participation, and their interest in and opportunities for working in the value chains in the future. This information was combined with market research from a survey of male- and female-owned SMEs that asked about the potential for increases in the participation of women and youth entrepreneurs and employees in the value chains, among other things. The findings played a critical role in arriving at the 10 top-ranking value chains to carry forward into the Activity's formative analysis stage. The in-depth formative analysis phase also included a more traditional gender, youth, and social inclusion analysis. The aim of the analysis was to understand both the broader situation of women and youth, including social norms and decision making, as well as reasons for the current division of responsibilities and its effect on the distribution of rewards and incentives among all people within the market system. The team conducted focus group discussions with women and youth and led a participatory value chain mapping workshop with private and public sector stakeholders. Findings from the analysis were used to develop a gender, youth, and social inclusion strategy and corresponding action plan to guide the Activity’s inclusion efforts.  (Read more in our blog post here). 

• Investing in meaningful engagement throughout the project cycle: Building on Gloria's post, under USAID Youth Resilience Activity (YRA) in Colombia, implemented by ACDI/VOCA we’re attempting to not only bring market and non-market actors that haven’t worked together before in multi-stakeholder partnerships (i.e. localized planning efforts), but we’re also trying to figure out how to facilitate meaningful youth engagement in those partnerships as well. YRA took a unique approach to forming coalitions to co-design and implement grant projects: grants co-created and implemented by coalitions comprised of multiple entities (e.g. public, private, social, youth organizations) organized around a common purpose and set of objectives that are willing to leverage resources, offer diverse perspectives, and are committed to build cohesion. Prior to and during co-creation, YRA identified aligned organizations (informed by Whole System in the Room workshops and other analyses) and helped them form coalitions to implement projects around themes of common interest, while ensuring alignment with project objectives and a strong youth voice during the entire process.  

• The business case for inclusion: When convinced of the business case, firms can help catalyze a process of change that increases jobs and income earning opportunities, promotes local markets, and develops products and services for people who need them. Their success can become the community’s success, particularly when businesses effectively promote women’s empowerment. Studies show that when a business integrates women into its business model and core operations, not only do profits improve but gender inequalities decline in the communities in which it works. Development partners can support the development of the business case with private sector partners and disseminate those results and benefits. Check out ACDI/VOCA's paper on the inclusive business case. And check out ACDI/VOCA's post on integrating inclusion into co-creation here. 

I agree with Gloria's comment about policy, and I would just add that development practitioners can facilitate capacity building for improved private sector advocacy initiatives, identify and support local partners to lead public private dialogue, and support the institutionalization of improved and inclusive policy processes.

Thanks!

[Jenn Williamson, ACDI/VOCA]

Hi everyone,

I am re-posting an additional comment that you may not have seen yet if you are accessing the web application only:

"Thank you, Gloria, all your very structured points are well taken. In particular the first two points I think are critical. An effective co-creation process builds a solid foundation that is relevant for both USAID and the private sector priorities. And supporting the private sector building/ using some of these tools within their own organization will not only cut the time for implementation but also make its approval a little easier. Kind regards, Ovidiu"