How We Work
We use a market systems development approach to address the root causes of poverty and exclusion — not just the symptoms. Our work is long-term, collaborative, and built around lasting systemic change.
Fixing Markets,
Not Just
Symptoms
Most development programmes target individuals — training a farmer, giving a grant to a small business, enrolling a student. These interventions matter, but they rarely survive the end of a project. When the funding stops, so does the support.
UMSDN takes a different approach. Market Systems Development (MSD) focuses on the underlying systems that determine whether markets work for poor and excluded people — the policies, norms, relationships, and capacities that shape market behaviour at scale.
When we change a market system, we don't create hundreds of beneficiaries. We create conditions that allow markets to serve hundreds of thousands of people — sustainably, without ongoing donor dependence.
Our interventions are designed to become redundant. Success means the market functions better on its own — not that organisations depend on UMSDN to keep it running.
Our Guiding Principles
We never assume we know the problem. Every intervention begins with deep market analysis to understand root causes before designing any response.
We work through and alongside market actors — businesses, governments, associations — rather than substituting for them. We build capacity, not dependency.
Markets are complex and unpredictable. We pilot interventions at small scale, measure results honestly, and adapt quickly based on what the evidence shows.
Inclusion isn't an afterthought. Every market analysis and intervention is deliberately designed to reach women, youth, and people in conflict-affected areas.
We track systemic change, not just outputs. Our results measurement systems capture how market behaviour shifts — not only how many people attended a training.
Our Programme Cycle
We begin by understanding how the market currently functions — who the key actors are, what rules and norms govern behaviour, where the systemic constraints lie, and how change happens. This phase grounds all subsequent decisions in evidence.
- Market systems mapping and actor analysis
- Constraint identification workshops
- Household surveys and key informant interviews
- Political economy analysis
Based on diagnosis, we co-design interventions with market actors — identifying which businesses, government bodies, or associations are best placed to drive change. We negotiate facilitated partnerships rather than implementing directly.
- Theory of change development
- Partner scoping and due diligence
- Grant and co-investment structuring
- Pilot design frameworks
We test interventions at manageable scale before expanding. Pilots are structured to generate learning rapidly — what changes in market behaviour, what doesn't, and why. Failure at small scale is expected and useful.
- Lean pilot frameworks with clear KPIs
- Rapid assessment and reflection cycles
- Partner coaching and facilitation
- Adaptation decision trees
Proven approaches are scaled by encouraging other market actors to adopt similar practices — "crowding in" new players without direct UMSDN involvement. The goal is systemic adoption, not a growing UMSDN portfolio.
- Market actor engagement strategies
- Policy and regulatory advocacy
- Knowledge sharing events and platforms
- Replication support for new entrants
Across all phases, we track market-level change — not just our own outputs. We measure systemic indicators: price trends, adoption rates, policy changes, and shifts in business practice. Findings are shared openly with the sector.
- Results measurement frameworks (DCED standard)
- Counterfactual and attribution analysis
- Contribution stories and case studies
- Sector-wide learning events
The Market System
We analyse markets across three interconnected layers. Change in any one layer is rarely sufficient — lasting transformation requires shifts across all three simultaneously.
The central exchange between buyers and sellers — including the products traded, the prices set, and the relationships between producers, traders, and consumers in a given market.
The services, infrastructure, and knowledge systems that enable core market functions to work — financial services, business development support, market information, transport, and input supply.
The formal and informal rules governing market behaviour — regulations, standards, property rights, social norms, cultural practices, and the institutions that enforce or influence them.
Three Levers for Change
We build the capacity of businesses, associations, and government bodies to play a more effective role in the market — so that change is led by Ugandan actors, not by UMSDN.
Many markets fail because the right actors aren't connected. We facilitate partnerships, linkages, and coordination between private sector, government, and civil society that wouldn't happen independently.
The most durable change happens when the formal and informal rules of a market shift. We engage policymakers, regulators, and community leaders to create environments where inclusive markets can thrive.
Deep Roots in Uganda's Most Underserved Regions
Our market systems work is concentrated in the regions where exclusion is most acute — Northern and Eastern Uganda, areas with histories of conflict, high youth unemployment, and limited access to formal financial services.
We have a permanent presence in the field, with programme staff embedded in target districts to build the trusted relationships that market facilitation requires.
Our Results to Date
Read the Evidence →Our results framework tracks shifts in market behaviour — adoption rates, pricing changes, policy reforms — not just activity outputs. We follow the DCED Standard for Results Measurement.
All evaluation findings, including failures, are published openly. We host annual learning events and contribute to the broader MSD evidence base in East Africa.
Every programme is designed from the start with an exit strategy. We track whether changes persist after UMSDN disengages — the ultimate test of systemic impact.
Learn More
Who We Are
Our story, founding values, leadership team, and the member network that makes our work possible.
Research & Evidence
Download our programme evaluations, market assessments, policy briefs, and annual reports.
Our Programmes
See how we apply the MSD approach across digital economy, financial inclusion, TVET, and entrepreneurship.