DAI to Implement USAID Market Systems and Partnerships Program

July 22, 2020

DAI will implement the Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP) program, a flexible buy-in mechanism that will support the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in actively integrating private sector engagement and market systems development approaches into its programming across the globe. These two approaches to development interventions will help deepen and accelerate the Agency’s top-level goals of inclusive and resilient agricultural-led economic growth, improved food security and nutrition, and increased incomes for the poor. The base period runs until June 2023, with a two-year option.

“DAI is thrilled to be supporting USAID in institutionalizing a systemic approach that leverages foreign aid to enable private sector-driven trade and economic development,” said Colleen Green, Vice President of DAI’s Economic Growth Sector. “MSP will be a key lever for the Agency to align incentives between governments, donors, civil society, investors, and value-chain actors—through partnership—to continuously drive forward development while making households and communities more resilient. Our goal is to work ourselves out of a job.”

The Agency will draw upon MSP as a central tool to implement its cultural and operational transformation driven by the 2018 Private Sector Engagement Policy as well as to advance progress towards development goals and USAID’s Journey to Self-Reliance. The project will bolster the ability of USAID to attract and leverage private resources and to adopt facilitative approaches in addressing critical development challenges more sustainably and at greater scale.

A key focus of the project will be to strengthen learning and capacity in private sector engagement and in market systems development within USAID and beyond. MSP will also build an evidence base to confirm underlying assumptions on theories of change for these two approaches to development programming and will develop tools that translate theory into practice.

MSP will develop activities with an orientation toward supporting and co-creating market-based solutions with the private sector, host-country governments, civil society, and implementers with an emphasis on working with new and underutilized partners. The project prioritizes Feed the Future target and aligned countries. Its consortium members include MarketShare Associates, Global Knowledge Initiative, TechChange, TechnoServe, EcoVentures International, and ISF Advisors.