Last month, Corus joined nearly 200 participants from 40 countries at the Market Systems Symposium (MSS) 2025 in Durban, South Africa, hosted by the Vikāra Institute. The event brought together practitioners, policymakers and innovators to explore how those working to strengthen market systems can adapt to a rapidly changing development landscape.
Strengthening Models for Systemic Change
During the opening panel, Mahmoud Bah, our Chief Operating Officer, reflected on how development organizations can evolve sustainably by strengthening local systems and empowering market actors.
“A market systems approach has always been around,” Mahmoud said, “but the real question is how we manage development in a way that addresses the root causes of what constrains growth in specific countries, regions and communities.”
He underscored that lasting progress depends on creating environments where local institutions and enterprises can grow, and where farmers and cooperatives can engage as active market participants.
His remarks aligned with one of the central themes of the symposium: the need to reinforce local ownership and strengthen networks that can sustain broad-based growth even as funding landscapes shift.
Mahmoud Bah, Corus's Chief Operating Officer, speaks at the 2025 Market Systems Symposium.
Building Trust and Networks for Market Resilience
Reflecting on the symposium’s discussions, Cathy Phiri, Senior Director for Technical Services – Market Systems, noted that the event provided valuable opportunities to explore how organizations can adapt to changing market realities. She described how Corus and other participants examined new tools and approaches to understand future scenarios, strengthen collaboration and identify ways to make local market systems more resilient.
“One of the key messages was the power of networks and how they’re evolving into new ways of connecting as systems and spaces change,” Cathy said.
She linked these learnings to Corus’s ongoing work through our Producer Enterprise Agent (PEA) model, championed by Corus organization Lutheran World Relief. The PEA model equips trusted local service providers—often women and young adults—to deliver last mile, agricultural extension services in fragile contexts. The model demonstrates how trust, coordination and locally led capacity can drive lasting systems change.
Read more about this approach in our recent blog: Catalyzing change: How Lutheran World Relief’s PEA model is redefining last-mile delivery.
Collaboration for the Future
For Olawale Awoyemi, Deputy Chief of Party for our U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Traceability and Resilience in Agriculture and Cocoa Ecosystems of Nigeria (TRACE) project, the symposium emphasized how adaptive partnerships and stable enabling environments can support innovation in complex settings.
“We must keep looking at how to project stability even as the environment shifts,” he said. “The questions we face today will evolve, and so must our approaches.”
Across multiple sessions, Corus team members reinforced that effective market systems depend on shared responsibility among public, private and community actors. By linking producers, buyers and service providers, development programs can strengthen cooperation and create systems that are more resilient and sustainable over time.
“Being here with grassroots players—farmers, cooperatives and market actors—and hearing their realities firsthand was invaluable,” Mahmoud reflected. “It’s how we stay connected, adjust our thinking and redeploy our strategies for greater impact.”
As conversations from the Market Systems Symposium continue, Corus remains committed to advancing locally driven, market-based solutions that help people overcome poverty and build stronger livelihoods.