Celebrating 25 Years of Business Solutions to Global Poverty in Mozambique
Since 1998, TechnoServe has been helping Mozambique’s industries, agribusinesses, and entrepreneurs increase their competitiveness and incomes. We recently hosted an event to celebrate 25 years of impact.
TechnoServe recently marked 25 years of working to reduce global poverty in Mozambique. We first set our roots in the northern city of Nampula in 1998. Our vision was to uplift women and men in low-income communities. Since then, we’ve worked with over 300,000 people and generated over $7.5 million in increased revenue for small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs, ultimately aiming to reduce extreme poverty.
Celebrating 25 Years of Progress Against Global Poverty
TechnoServe celebrated this milestone by bringing together partners from the public and private sectors. Here’s what they had to say:
“As the U.S. government envisions a future where foreign assistance becomes unnecessary, we applaud TechnoServe and its peers for working with the Mozambican Government and the growing private sector,” said David Young, deputy director of the USAID Mission in Mozambique. “It has been 25 consecutive years that USAID and TechnoServe have collaborated together, contributing to inclusive economic development and transformational changes in this beautiful country.”
Her Excellency Elsbeth Akkerman, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Mozambique, also spoke at the event. “We greatly value our over decade-long partnership with TechnoServe,” she said. “We have seen with great satisfaction the contributions to the development of the agribusiness sector in Mozambique, particularly in the soybean and poultry value chains, leading to an increase in the income of small producers.”
Higino Marule, Former Minister of Agriculture who also represented the Minister of Economy and Finance, added, “TechnoServe’s approach over the last 25 years has been to seek out business solutions while at the same time ensuring post-project sustainability.”
Engaging the Private Sector in Global Poverty Alleviation
Territorial Manager for Bayer, Norberto Mahalambe, and Marketing Director of Mozabanco, João Mota, also spoke at the event. They noted that the synergy between different development actors, including the private sector, the government, and development agencies, can lead to improved development outcomes and a greater impact on the lives of individuals and communities.
Deyzes Pereira, Market System Manager of the Women In Business (WIN) program, focused on the importance of engaging private sector partners to achieve gender equality. She highlighted several initiatives, including Xitique de Mpesa and MozaBanco’s financial literacy program, which have positively impacted women’s lives and the revenues of the companies that have joined.
USAID Agribusiness and Finance Advisor Elsa Mapilele recognized that in her 21 years of collaborating with TechnoServe, she valued the ability to adapt and work with a different range of partners. “I have also noticed how persistent [TechnoServe is] when they believe in a cause and they make things happen, regardless of how hard it seems to be,” she said.
Looking to the Future
Twenty-five years ago, TechnoServe Mozambique focused on spurring the economic development of large companies and agriculture sub-sectors, contributing considerably to reducing poultry and soya imports through industrialization.
Later, TechnoServe worked to address the growing needs of small entrepreneurs and emerging businesses by starting its successful entrepreneurship and gender equality programs. Our vision for ending poverty is built on a long track record of developing market-based solutions in agriculture and enterprise development, but it now incorporates pressing issues such as climate change and unemployment.
TechnoServe aims to expand its work in three key areas: regenerative business for people, nature, and climate; nutritious, inclusive, and sustainable food systems; and decent work for the next generations. TechnoServe Mozambique aims to scale its impact by leveraging and sharing knowledge and building new partnerships in the coming years.
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