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From 7 to 9 May, Ayuda en Acción's sectoral team facilitated a training in the city of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), focusing on the methodology of Market Systems Development (MSD). Technical staff from the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia, FAO-Ethiopia, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and representatives of the non-governmental organisations Rescate and Amigos de Silva participated in the training.
The training combined theoretical modules with practical exercises, oriented towards systemic market analysis and the design of catalytic interventions that promote sustainable, inclusive and scalable systemic change. The MSD conceptual framework was applied to diagnose market functions performing below their potential. A mapping of relevant actors was also carried out and different systemic constraints that limit the capacity of systems to provide goods and services in a sustainable way to the most vulnerable populations were analysed.
During the days of the meeting, work was also done on the formulation of results chains, a fundamental tool for planning, monitoring and impact evaluation. Throughout the process, gender, protection and climate resilience approaches were mainstreamed, ensuring that the design of interventions responds to the multiple dimensions of exclusion and vulnerability that affect vulnerable populations, especially women and youth.
Reflection on the future of projects
One of the differentiating aspects of the approach was the reflection on sustainability after an intervention: which actors in the system will assume key functions? what will be their incentives to continue doing so? who will finance the required services once the support we provide ends? These questions allow us to align actions with the principles of sustainability, replicability and scale.
The training was carried out within the framework of a delegated cooperation project of the European Union, managed by AECID's Overseas Cooperation Office (OCE) in Ethiopia. This was the first experience of ISD training provided by Ayuda en Acción for actors outside the organisation. The aim is to consolidate a continuous process of capacity building that promotes the appropriation of the ISD approach by local actors.
According to Eduardo Reneses, head of the sectoral area, ‘with this type of training we reaffirm our commitment to the Inclusive Systems Development approach as a strategic framework for designing and implementing sustainable development interventions’. ‘We understand our role as facilitators of systemic change, promoting capacities, incentives and relationships between local actors to improve the functionality of the system beyond our direct intervention’.
This type of initiative not only strengthens individual and institutional capacities, but also fosters the construction of strategic alliances, shared learning and the convergence of visions oriented towards systemic and long-term impact.
