USAID, Partners Initiate Platform for Policy and Private Sector Coordination in Ethiopia
Over 20 IPs participated in a comprehensive survey shared by C4FS.
Following guidance from the USAID/Ethiopia, Policy LINK’s Champions for Food Security (C4FS) activity hosted a consultation forum with USAID Implementing Partners (IPs) on October 25, 2024 in Addis Ababa to initiate a policy and private sector engagement coordination platform. The forum was aimed at understanding and aligning the IPs’ policy and private sector engagement priorities, co-creating a joint coordination mechanism, and agreeing on engagement modalities within a new framework.
The forum began with a welcome note from C4FS, followed by remarks from Mr. Semachew Kassahun, USAID/Ethiopia’s Policy and Strategy Division Chief. Their insights set the tone for the discussions, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts in policy and private sector engagement.
Mr. Semachew highlighted USAID’s extensive support for policy strengthening and private sector engagement, with over 30 IPs actively engaged at various levels. These efforts range from developing guidelines to refining directives, contributing to a cohesive policy framework. IPs operate at both household and grassroots levels, collaborating with diverse institutions such as Chambers of Commerce and sectoral associations. He noted, however, that lack of effective coordination in policy influencing can weaken the ability to drive meaningful reforms, particularly in government engagements. He also stressed the critical role of the private sector inclusion, as policies significantly impact this sector.
The forum’s deliberations were grounded in a comprehensive survey conducted by C4FS and shared with over 20 IPs. The C4FS team presented the survey results, offering valuable insights that guided the discussions on establishing the policy and private sector engagement coordination platform.
The survey covered four key areas: specific policy areas addressed by IPs, components of the policy system targeted, current policy coordination mechanisms, and Ips’ engagement in private sector development. The survey results revealed that 87% of respondents are engaged in enabling the private sector, while 31% focus more on resilience initiatives. It also identified which IPs are working on various policy components: policy dialogue and stakeholder consultation (10 IPs), policy implementation (10 IPs), and policy analysis and evidence generation (9 IPs) emerged as the major components. Additionally, the survey highlighted key areas of private sector engagement interventions by IPs, including catalyzing private sector resources, information-sharing and strategic alignment, and harnessing private sector expertise and innovation.
The forum concluded by identifying six priority policy areas for IP collaboration: access to finance, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), seed, fertilizer, nutrition, and land. It also set the modalities for IP engagement, including: a) establishing a community of practice for policy and private sector engagement where IPs can share lessons in policy influencing, and b) forming context-specific dynamic technical working groups when sufficient evidence is available for policy influencing in a particular area.
Through these mechanisms, C4FS aims to enhance the effectiveness of the USAID mission’s efforts towards impactful policy investments.