Support to Musika, second phase (2014-2017)

Musika is a non-profit company owned by six key Zambian agriculture related institutions. It is managed by a local team of agricultural market development experts and started its operations in November 2011 with funding from Sweden through Sida/the Embassy in Lusaka and from November 2012 with co-funding from DFID Zambia. Sweden and the UK have entered into a Joint Finanacing Agreement that clarifies the purpose of the joint funding and how the two actors will harmonies their support. DFID entered into an agreement about support to Musika 2012-2016. Currently it is not clear whether DFIDs funding will continue after 2016. While Musika works (directly or indirectly) with all main stakeholders in the agri business sector, its primary clients are the private sector entities in the agricultural market systems – ranging from multinational corporations to micro-entrepreneur service providers - that are committed to working with the rural poor as their suppliers, consumers, clients or employees. Through technical support and a range of catalytic investments Musika stimulates and deepens commercial market engagement with the rural poor and seeks to fundamentally change the way agricultural markets engage with and benefit the smallholders. Indirectly, a substantial number of smallholder male and female farmers benefit from increased access to improved agricultural markets. These are the ultimate beneficiaries of Musika’s activities in the sense that all activites aim to benefit this group in the end. Musika's success depends very much on selecting the right partners and facilitating the desired outcome of these partnerships. In summary, Musika is assessed to be a cost effective program that contributes immensely to the results of the results strategy. During the 2,5 years that Sweden has provided funding Musika has exceeded its targets in three out of five markets and achieved the targets in the other two.