The Market Development Forum (MDF) is a knowledge sharing network of market development practitioners in Bangladesh. It was formed in 2005 by several organizations to create opportunities for coordination and sharing lessons and approaches to market development. MDF has grown to include over 25 member organizations and provides a neutral platform for knowledge exchange. It aims to improve understanding of how to influence market systems through supporting knowledge sharing among its members on their different market development strategies and approaches.

1. MDF and Market Development
Market Development Forum (MDF) is the knowledge
sharing network of market development practitioners in
Bangladesh. Overtime, the importance of such a platform
for knowledge dissemination and coordination has been
established among the practitioners. This neutral
platform create opportunities for different organizations
to work together by sharing knowledge and experience
around different market development approaches, capture
feedback of practitioners and communicating to donors
and relevant stakeholders, promote national level
discussions and improve overall understanding of how to
influence market systems. Hence, MDF capitalize on
members’ initiative to knowledge sharing.
The platform was formed as a joint effort of CARE
Bangladesh, GTZ-PROGRESS, Swisscontact(Katalyst) and
IFC-SEDF in 2005. MDF has evolved into a paid
membership based network from 2013 for international
and local NGOs, development projects and consultancies’,
who are working with different market development
approaches. . It is a loosely affiliated network which
welcomes any organization or body interested in similar
issues regarding private sector development.
Market development is a very dynamic field of the
international development cooperation and is gaining the
attention of more and more development organizations as
well as donors. A big number of approaches and strategies
are being developed that aim at changes in the market
system to make it more pro-poor, e.g. Enterprise
Development, Value Chain Development, Livelihoods and
Markets, Bottom of the Pyramid, Making Markets Work for
Poor, or Social Enterprises. These approaches are often
overlapping or even the same thing using different names.
Since most market development approaches are aiming at
systemic changes in market systems, a thorough
knowledge of the systems in question is required.
Development organizations have to invest more and more
resources in analyzing systems before developing new
interventions. Another characteristic of employing
Our Members as of July 2015 are:
1. Christian Aid* (Chair)
2. VSO Bangladesh*
3. Concern universal*
4. Save the Children*
5. Muslim Aid*
6. Practical Action*
7. HELVETAS Swiss
Intercooperation*
8. Swisscontact SARO
9. IDE Bangladesh
10. Action for Enterprise
11. GIZ
12. CARE Bangladesh
13. Oxfam
14. Helen Keller International
15. GMark Consultants Ltd.
16. Renaissance Consultants
Ltd.
17. Sachathan Shahacho
Sangstha(SSS)
18. USAID|Agro-Inputs Project
(managed by CNFA)
19. Worldvision
20. Tindercapital
21. Enroute International
22. HEKS
23. Pro-Poor Trade Project-
UNDP
24. Help Age International
25. ICCO
26. Worldfish
*Executive Committee member

2. systemic approaches is that other influencing factors on the same system become more and more
important. These other influencing factors naturally include the interventions of other development
programs.
It is the aim of the Market Development Forum Bangladesh (MDF) to tackle these issues
surrounding the still relatively new field of market development by supporting its member
organizations in exchanging experiences and lessons from using different approaches and
strategies, test new approaches or concepts and, hence, improve the overall understanding of how
to influence market systems. MDF gives the organizations also a space to exchange findings of
market research and analyses as well as share and better coordinate project interventions.
Objective
MDF endeavor for sustainable solution to pro-poor market development by creating
linkages and enhancing knowledge management. The aim is to -
1. Create more inclusive platform of development practitioners from international and local
NGOs, projects, donors and private sector.
2. Promote quality knowledge management and networking
3. Enhance MDF portfolio
How we promote knowledge sharing?
We have three vehicles through which we engage our members in knowledge sharing activities.
Contact
To know more about MDF, visit our website: www.mdfbd.org or contact Tanzila Tajreen, Program
Coordinator, by email: tanzila@mdfbd.org
General Discussion Events
•Seminar, Conference, Roundtable
Discussion
•Market Cafe- Informal discussion
sessions on burning themes in
development sector
Market Jatraa (A learning and sharing
journey)
•Regional fieldtrip with MDF members
and an expert on relevant theme.
Thematic Working Group
•Private Rural Service Provision System
•Forward Market