LINC

Read our latest newsletter and subscribe to stay informed about our work alongside local communities. In this issue, we share a new report on #AI for Climate and Development, the recently published DECA that highlights #Ghana ’s vibrant #FinTech startup sector, more about the Resilience #Innovation Competition in #Ethiopia, an assessment about USAID’s contributions to reductions in crime and violence prevention in #Mexico, and more. Read and subscribe below 👇

#MarketSystems Resilience State of the Field Map 👇 : #Learning #Collaboration

What’s happened to the state of the field in #MSR since 2022? The latest update to @USAID’s #MarketSystems #Resilience (MSR) State of the Field Map is here—now featuring 53 programs across 29 countries. That’s 50% more programs than two years ago. 🌍  Access the resource: https://lnkd.in/dWeXZAZY This is more than just a map though—use this as a #tool to better understand how MSR is being applied in both programs and research/learning initiatives, help you to identify opportunities for collaboration, and share knowledge. Whether you're seeking key contacts, publications, or practical insights, this interactive map provides the details you need to engage with others in building more resilient market systems. Thank you to Vikāra Institute (especially Abigail M.) for this work, developed in collaboration with the MSR Community of Practice under the Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP) Activity led by DAI.  #MarketSystems #Resilience #InternationalDevelopment 

This week, members of our team are attending the Market Systems Symposium 2024 #MSS2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. They will be sharing their experiences and insights into some of the themes that contribute to Market Systems Development. You are welcome to join their sessions: 💡 Day 2 (Wednesday, Oct. 23) - Global & Regional Learning Programs Peer-to-Peer Dialogue 💡 Day 3 (Thursday, Oct. 24) - Impact Leverage through MSD Collaboration: Global Case Studies - Thematic Summit: Innovations in Systemic Research, Monitoring & Decision-Making The #MSS2024 is hosted by Vikāra Institute. Learn more and see the full agenda here: https://buff.ly/3YvrS3q Patrick Sommerville Bersabeh Beyene Meghan Bolden

RLA just kicked off a two-day Peer to Peer workshop on the scale up of the Vertically Integrated Livestock Market Models in Jigjiga, Ethiopia. The event brought together USAID IP representatives, program managers, and technical staff, aggregators, and private actors to explore this innovative approach. The workshop looks into the concept of vertical integration and explore its potential to enhance livestock value chains, with a particular focus on scaling up successful models to other regions and sectors. The event aims to equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of vertical integration in livestock markets, identify opportunities for scaling up vertical integration models to other regions and sectors, learn from successful case studies implemented by RIPA North as well as explore strategies for adapting vertical integration models to different contexts and challenges. There will be expert presentations on vertical integration concepts and the newly developed scale up implementation guide, model integration with technology the Lersha platform, interactive group discussions on identifying opportunities for vertical integration, as well as a stimulating panel discussion featuring diverse stakeholders. Stay tuned for updates on the second day's field visit and closing reflections!

#HappeningNow The USAID Ethiopia RLA is hosting an extremely well-attended quarterly learning event that has brought together USAID/Ethiopia, its resilience Implementing Partners and the private sector. Currently RLA’s Chief of Party, Bersabeh Beyene, is moderating a panel discussion on ‘Exploring the Implications of the Currency Float on the Ethiopian Economy’ – panelists include representatives from Dashen Bank, First Consult, SPX, the International Growth Center and Zoscales Partners. We look forward to understanding more on how our network can navigate the shifting economic landscape. #EconomicGrowth #USAID #Collaboration

We are thrilled to share that LINC, Corporación ECOSS, and the Gerry Roxas Foundation are finalists in the 2024 USAID Learning Lab CLA Case Competition.   This year, our case focuses on the Communities of Practice for Effective Partnerships (COPE) Activity. COPE groups 16 local organizations working to address complex development challenges through #SystemsThinking and dispel the belief that systems thinking is exclusive to high-level international practitioners.   From 2017 to 2020, USAID funded the Local Systems Practice Activity, which provided systems thinking training to organizations from different countries in #Asia and #LatinAmerica. Seeking continued learning, 16 of these local organizations came together and established COPE in 2023. ‘The initiative aimed to organically grow a community of systems-thinking practitioners in the Global South. COPE incentivized participation with "learning while doing" through demonstration projects, providing $55,000 to each eligible organization to address a local development challenge using systems thinking. Recognizing that training and funding alone wouldn't build a community, COPE emphasized intentional engagement to be a ‘member’.”   💡 Learn more about COPE and our CLA Case below: https://lnkd.in/e5b3GnQ7

Congratulations to the finalists and winners of the 2024 #USAIDCLACaseComp—now in its milestone 10th year! https://bit.ly/2024CLACC And thank you to all who participated! We received a record 176 cases, with over 73% from first-time participants. With 800+ cases collected in the past decade, we’re continuing to grow our evidence base for how Agency staff and partners collaborate, learn, and adapt for better development programming. Explore all the cases on #USAIDLearningLab, and follow along as we celebrate the finalists and winners over the next month.

Today, the USAID PLR Local Evaluation and Evidence Support Effort closed out the second day of its Peer Learning Event in Zambia. Over the past two days, we’ve celebrated our pilot cohort’s accomplishments, learned new skills in strategic planning and training of trainers, discussed best practices for evidence utilizaiton, and deepened the community of evidence actors in Zambia. Today concluded the first phase of the LEES program and launched Phase Two, during which we will focus on strengthening relationships within Zambia’s evidence ecosystem through communities of practice, learning events, and other activities. We would like to give a special congratulations to those organizations who completed a mock USAID proposal and competed in the pitch contest, during which organizations gave an oral presentation of their proposals’ technical approach. We were blown away by the technical depth and presentation skills of our trainees. Congratulations to the winner Telos Consult Limited and runner up Brasys! Our other Zambian trainees included: cavendishuniversity zambia, Centre for Trade Policy and Development, COREPlus Consult Limited, EM Associate Limited, IMPACT Research, Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), Institute of Organisation Development Facilitators, Ipomea Consult, Ipsos Zambia, Keno Institute of Training & Research, Klinex Limited, Laria Consultancy & Research Solutons, M31 Research, March Associates Consulting, MashMap Consultancy Services, Nangoma Consult, Palm Associated Limited, Policy Monitoring and Research Centre, Renovatio Business Services Limited, Southern African Institute for Policy and Research, Zafrik Consulting Group, Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research, and THE ZCAS University. LEES is implemented by LINC with partners The Cloudburst Group, DevLab@Penn, and infotrak research and consulting.

Today, the USAID PLR Local Evaluation and Evidence Support Effort closed out the second day of its Peer Learning Event in Zambia. Over the past two days, we’ve celebrated our pilot cohort’s accomplishments, learned new skills in strategic planning and training of trainers, discussed best practices for evidence utilizaiton, and deepened the community of evidence actors in Zambia. Today concluded the first phase of the LEES program and launched Phase Two, during which we will focus on strengthening relationships within Zambia’s evidence ecosystem through communities of practice, learning events, and other activities. We would like to give a special congratulations to those organizations who completed a mock USAID proposal and competed in the pitch contest, during which organizations gave an oral presentation of their proposals’ technical approach. We were blown away by the technical depth and presentation skills of our trainees. Congratulations to the winner Telos Consult Limited and runner up Brasys! Our other Zambian trainees included: cavendishuniversity zambia, Centre for Trade Policy and Development, COREPlus Consult Limited, EM Associate Limited, IMPACT Research, Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), Institute of Organisation Development Facilitators, Ipomea Consult, Ipsos Zambia, Keno Institute of Training & Research, Klinex Limited, Laria Consultancy & Research Solutons, M31 Research, March Associates Consulting, MashMap Consultancy Services, Nangoma Consult, Palm Associated Limited, Policy Monitoring and Research Centre, Renovatio Business Services Limited, Southern African Institute for Policy and Research, Zafrik Consulting Group, Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research, and THE ZCAS University. LEES is implemented by LINC with partners The Cloudburst Group, DevLab@Penn, and infotrak research and consulting.