Programme description

The programme’s approach  and materials will marry conceptual rigour with a strong practical orientation. A range of learning approaches will be used including lectures, case studies, group work and structured discussions. Throughout, the programme will seek to draw on the collective experience of participants to ensure that learning is grounded in operational realities.

Material will be drawn from a range of international situations, with a special emphasis on African examples.

For most of the programme, participants will be divided into smaller groups of 16-20 to provide a more appropriate environment for interactive learning. Each group will be facilitated by one of the three core faculty.

In addition, external resource people from the region will present recent project experiences of where a market development approach has been used in both rural and urban settings.

Programme Content:  Participants will explore the key elements in the overall framework of the market development approach.

Setting the strategic framework:  developing the rationale; recognising the relationship between functioning markets, enterprise competitiveness and pro-poor growth; the emerging key features of the market development approach.

Understanding market systems:  the dynamics and dimensions of a functioning market; identifying systemic constraints to market development; lessons from recent experience on assessing goods and service markets to guide project design.

Assessing the role of key players:  what should be the role of different players in an effective, inclusive market, in particular the roles of government, business membership organisations, not-for-profit organisations and the private sector; what prevents them playing these roles currently; how can they play more effective roles in the future?

Developing realistic pictures of sustainability:  what is the practical vision of how markets should work in the future and how can that guide our actions; who has the incentives and capacity to perform and pay for different market roles; what are the key considerations in building a future vision; how can a common view be developed?

Facilitating market change:  linking intervention options to market analysis and a long-term strategy for lasting impact; choosing partners for implementation; designing the intervention “offer” with an exit strategy upfront; tips, tools and principles for intervention and engagement.

Monitoring and evaluation:  approaches to assessing market system change, setting key indicators and using information to track performance.