Resource Library

The Resource Library serves as a broad resource hub, including over 1000 documents, training materials, wikis, and curated reports to increase readers' awareness, understanding, and proficiency of several topics in market systems development. Users have access to proposals, evaluation materials, and USAID policy updates, as well as training modules and wikis to boost skills and knowledge.

These resources are bolstered by the inclusion of curated USAID reports published on the USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) which serves as a repository of reports from completed or ongoing USAID development projects around the globe. The full USAID Development Clearinghouse website can be accessed here.

Case Study Series: Women-Inclusive Return on Investment (WI-ROI)

These case studies profile select small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have implemented a women-inclusive intervention and can demonstrate financial returns for that investment. The case studies help address a gap in evidence from firms in lower- and middle-income countries on the return on investment (ROI) from women’s inclusion and unpack themes from USAID’s Women Inclusive Return on Investment (WI-ROI) Framework.

The case study series features:

  • By: Erin MarkelSabine GarbarinoYaquta Fatehi
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5.3.1.5. Phase 1 Tools: Choices

Shaded Grid Analysis As discussed above, the final result of end-market research is the ability to make choices about what market segments to pursue. At the end of Phase 1 for the Afghan DFN value chain, the team was looking for a clear choice on what one or two markets should be targeted for a full primary research effort. During the early months of the DFN engagement, stakeholders mentioned the following four markets as current or potentially interesting future markets to pursue: UK, Russia, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

5.3.1.8. Phase 2 Tools: Choices

Detailed SWOT Analysis The end result of all the data collection and analysis conducted during Phases 1 and 2 is to first make choices about what customer segments should be pursued and what the strategy should be to pursue them. One way to integrate the four Cs above into this analysis is with a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. Context is used for the internal factors (SW), while Channels, Customers and Competitors are integrated into the external factors (OT).

5.3.2.1. Production Capacity Analysis

Introduction Cycle time analysis was used by the World Bank's Foreign Investment Advisory Service (FIAS) to look at constraints in the Ugandan coffee sector. The Ugandan government implemented a decentralization process that increased the number of bureaucratic procedures individual districts imposed and led to the implementation of levies on investments and shipments in and between the districts. A cycle time analysis showed that it took 20 days for a container of coffee to pass from Ugandan growers to the ports in Mombassa.

5.3.2.2. Benchmarking

The value chain benchmarking process is straightforward and generally includes the following steps:

5.3.1.4. Phase 1 Tools: Competitors

Boston Consulting Group Matrix - Exporters The TradeMap database can also be used to identify both global and regional competitors in different commodity groups. The output of the analysis is similar, but in this case, we are looking at exporters instead of importers of the product. As a first pass, this type of secondary analysis can paint a portrait of the relative size of the competitor (the size of the bubble), the basis of competition (low cost vs. differentiation), and the relative success of the country in global markets (annual growth rate).

5.5.2.1. IA Brazil

The USAID/Brazil Micro and Small Enterprise Trade-Led Growth Program is intended to demonstrate that targeted assistance to key small lead firms can open export markets and lead to increased sales. Because the lead firms selected for assistance involve large numbers of microenterprises, as suppliers of finished and semi-finished products, and hire low-income workers, the increased sales will benefit small microenterprises and the poor through expanded opportunities to supply goods and services tot he lead firms, increased employment, and income.

5.5.2.2. IA India

The Growth-oriented Micro-Enterprise Development (GMED) India Program is a three-year (extendable to a fourth-year) project with the goal of developing sustainable institutions and policies that will enable (MSEs) to grow into larger businesses and thus increase employment opportunities, thereby increasing employment opportunities in India.

5.5.2.4. IA Zambia

PROFIT Zambia is a five-year project that began in June 2005. It is funded at the level of $15 million, including $5 million for local grants. The Cooperative League of USA (CLUSA) implements the project with the Emerging Markets Group (EMG) and International Development Enterprises (IDE) as sub-contractors.

5.5.2.3. IA Kenya

The Kenya Business Development Services (BDS) Project and the Horticulture Development Centre (HDC) Project support USAID/Kenya’s strategic objective of increasing rural household incomes in Kenya. They seek to raise smallholder productivity, widen market outlets, facilitate vertical and horizontal linkages, and promote the sustainable development of business services for rural MSEs.

4.1.1. Partial Grants and Cost-sharing for Financing

DESCRIPTION Giving a grant to a business to fund operations or covering part of the business’ costs to overcome the business’ lack of access to capital (inability to attract equity, get a loan). An example of this would be grants and prizes awarded through the Development Innovation Venture (DIV).

4.1.2. Provide Finance Seekers with Advisory Support in Building Proposals

DESCRIPTION Banks and other finance providers often claim they are eager to increase their portfolios and make investments, but they rarely receive financing requests from prospective borrowers in an actionable form, with the data and analysis needed for them to make a financing decision. Individual entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may have limited experience communicating financial analysis and projections. As such, USAID has a long history of providing Business Advisory Services (BAS) to enterprises to assist with financial proposal development.

4.1.3. Train Finance Seekers in Marketing Skills

DESCRIPTION Marketing skills are an essential element to increasing the profitability of SMEs. Strategic marketing not only advertises an enterprise’s offerings to the consumer, but to finance providers as well. USAID is experienced in assisting enterprises with marketing the benefits of their product or idea, particularly within the agricultural sector.

4.1.4. Provide General Financial Literacy Training to Households and SMEs

DESCRIPTION The Center for Strategic and International Studies defines financial literacy as “the ability to understand and execute matters of personal finance, including basic numeracy, interest compounding, inflation, and risk diversification” (Source: Financial Literacy: Challenges and Opportunities).

4.1.5. Variable Payment Obligation (VPO)

DESCRIPTION Variable Payment Obligation programs (VPOs) aim to expand access to finance for Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) with a type of loan that assesses risk and repayment through variable payments and cash flow, rather than traditional assets – assets that an SGB may or may not be able to provide to a finance provider.

4.1.6. PAYGo Systems

DESCRIPTION Pay-as-you-go, or PAYGo, systems allow small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners, as well as consumers, to only purchase the amount of a product they need, as they use it.This allows individuals with limited means to take advantage of available capital, e.g. electricity, up to whatever their imposed limit may be. A PAYGo system does not require consumers to purchase significant capital prior to its use.