Making Markets Work for the Poor is an approach to development that aims to harness the power of markets to fight  poverty. A number of agencies have built on the ideas and concepts of this approach, and have achieved practical results. The Making Markets Work for the Poor in Southern and Eastern Africa conference, held in Stellenbosch over 3 days from the 12th to 14th March 2007, was an opportunity to discuss the strengths and limitations of this approach and critically assess how markets can be made to work for the poor.

The three-day event was wide-ranging, with almot 30 presentations grouped around themes such as  the role of business, international trade and globalisation, agricultural value chains, service markets, HIV/AIDS, and local development. More than 140 participants from government, donor agencies and the private sector attended, coming from all over the world. 

Organisations presenting their experiences included ComMark Trust, FinMark Trust, DFID, CGAP, Technoserve, ILO, the Tourism Enterprise Programme (TEP) and other Southern African initiatives. Private companies such as Vodacom, WIZZIT and Woolworths talked about their experiences in harnessing the power of markets to reach millions of new consumers.

Copies of presentations available at http://www.commark.org/pages/Default.asp?SectionID=180 [1]

These include:

Supporting Smallholder Farmers to Grow in Uganda, by Chris Balya (3.8 Mb)
Expanding Opportunities for Poor Dairy Farmers in Kenya, by Wanjiku Guchu (579 kB)
Making Markets for Cashew, Coffee and Bananas Work for the Poor in Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya, by Leslie Johnston (263 kB)