Mozambique

Since the 1st of January 2010, the local government of the city of Maputo, capital of Mozambique, now have effective administrative control over an important part of the educational, public health, cultural and economic sectors of its city. Last 22 December the municipal council of the city and the Mozambican central government signed a series of agreements on the implementation of Decree 33/2006 of 30 August 2006 regulating the transfer of powers and competences from the central government to local governments.

Read more

Building Competitiveness in Africa's Agriculture

This comprehensive guide looks at different approaches to value chain, together with told and examples- take a look it is unbiased and does not support one specific approach. This will soon become an interactive resource and I will share as soon as it is. Definitely worth reading ahead of undertaking value chain activities whether done in-house or consultants are commissioned. Gwen

Seventy-five percent of the world’s poor live in rural areas and most are involved in agriculture. In the 21st century, agriculture remains fundamental to economic growth, poverty alleviation, and environmental sustainability. The World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development publication series presents recent analyses of issues that affect the role of agriculture, including livestock, fisheries, and forestry, as a source of economic development, rural livelihoods, and environmental services. This Guide to value chain approaches provides the user with actionable methods and tools to design programs and investment projects that aim to increase the productivity and performance of sub-Saharan African agriculture. Value chains are a key framework for understanding how inputs and services are brought together and then used to grow, transform, or manufacture a product; how the product then moves physically from the producer to the customer; and how value increases along the way.Thanks to USAID BGI for uploading into the public domain.

Making rural businesses bankable in Mozambique (thanks to ELDIS)

An interesting microfinance 'plus' project in rural Mozambique- see how microfinance with additional business support, market development and business association activities is effective- this holistic approach is a core in LED policy and practice. Take a look!

Most farms and small businesses in rural Mozambique lack access to finance and operate in poorly coordinated markets. This restricts rural economic development and leaves many people trapped in poverty. The active lending approach of one financial institution, Gabinete de Consultoria e Apoio à Pequena Indústria (GAPI), is helping to address these problems.

Research from the Open University, in the UK, and the Institute of Social Studies, in the Netherlands, examines the work of GAPI, a development finance institution in Mozambique. It explores how GAPI successfully combines loans with business support services to help rural industries grow.

GAPI became one of Mozambique’s first development finance institutions in 1990. Jointly owned by a German non-governmental organisation (NGO) and the Mozambican Ministry of Planning, GAPI finances its activities through the support of aid agencies and other donors.

The development of rural production in Mozambique is constrained by a number of factors. The limited availability of credit and the lack of coordination between different stages of the supply chain are major barriers faced by farms and small- and medium-sized rural businesses.

Unlike most banks in Mozambique, GAPI focuses on lending to farms and firms based in rural areas. In 2004, 66 percent of its lending financed rural production and trade (including agriculture and agro-processing).

The main characteristics of GAPI’s lending approach are: the combination of credit with business support services (thus improving the ability of borrowers to repay), supporting the whole supply chain in which borrowers operate, and the development of partnerships with other organisations. The researchers show how this distinctive approach to lending has helped promote rural industrial development in northern Mozambique. They use two case studies: the revival of cashew nut processing and the introduction of poultry farming.

The case studies show how GAPI:

• http://www.eldis.org/images/dotContent.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 5px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; margin: 0px;">supported cashew nut farmers by offering access to affordable credit and training
• http://www.eldis.org/images/dotContent.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 5px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; margin: 0px;">worked with the Cooperative League of the USA (CLUSA) to help farmers join together in associations, which increases their bargaining power when dealing with large traders and processors
• http://www.eldis.org/images/dotContent.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 5px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; margin: 0px;">worked with a partner organisation, the American non-government organisation TechnoServe, to help farmers find export markets for their cashews
• http://www.eldis.org/images/dotContent.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 5px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; margin: 0px;">worked with partner organisations to support small-scale poultry producers through training, setting up producer associations and micro loans.

The case studies show that GAPI’s active lending approach has boosted the development of two rural industries in northern Mozambique. This has helped create thousands of jobs, contributing to raising incomes and reducing poverty. It has also helped to lay the foundations for future rural industrial development.

The researchers conclude that:

• http://www.eldis.org/images/dotContent.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 5px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; margin: 0px;">development finance institutions do have a role to play in poverty reduction
• http://www.eldis.org/images/dotContent.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 5px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; margin: 0px;">not only can they provide credit and support to individual rural firms and farms, they can also aid the transformation of the rural economy
• http://www.eldis.org/images/dotContent.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 5px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; margin: 0px;">to do this, financial institutions should be designed to meet the specific needs of rural industries in poor countries (not modelled on institutions in rich countries).

Potato/Sweetpotato Seed Systems Specialist

The International Potato Center is recruiting a Potato/Sweetpotato Seed Specialist for its ongoing projects on potato and sweetpotato in Mozambique. In addition to the technical ...more

Shared by ledna-team - 17/11/2009

Support to Decentralized Planning and Financing

The recently completed UNCDF ‘Support to Decentralized Planning and Financing in the Provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado’ has quite detailed indicators. While not a pure LED project, it nevertheless has many of the key ingredients of LED, making it a suitable case study.

Financial Expert, Mozambique

European Management Solutions is in the process of identifying one expert for the EC tender “Technical support for addressing economic development in the implementation of ...more

Shared by ledna-team - 28/10/2009

Private Sector Development Expert, Mozambique

European Management Solutions is in the process of identifying one expert for the EC tender “Technical support for addressing economic development in the implementation of ...more

Shared by ledna-team - 28/10/2009

Private Sector Development Expert, Mozambique

European Management Solutions is in the process of identifying one expert for the EC tender “Technical support for addressing economic development in the implementation of ...more

Shared by ledna-team - 28/10/2009

Country Technical Advisor, Building Inclusive Financial Sectors

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) developed a partnership to implement the programme "Building Inclusive Financial Sectors in ...more

Shared by ledna-team - 07/08/2009

Beating the Odds: Sustaining Inclusion in a Growing Economy

This comprehensive study describes an assessment approach that combines multiple disciplines and diagnostic tools to explore the many dimensions in of poverty. The report aims  to support the development and implementation of effective pro-poor policies. It focuses on Mozambique, but the approach is applicable in other countries. Indicators used in this study could inspire the development of indicators for similar or smaller scale studies elsewhere