ONE VILLAGE ONE PRODUCT MOVEMENT IN
AFRICA: THE MALAWI STORY
Lecture at the 165th FASID Brown Bag Lunch Seminar
By
His Excellency Ambassador L. Roosevelt GondweAmbassador of the Republic of Malawi to Japan
25th September 2007

Presentation Outline••••••••••
•
••
•
••

Brief on Malawi
Historical Development of Malawi OVOPThe OVOP Message
How OVOP is Organised in Malawi
OVOP Objectives
Project Assessment
Selected OVOP Products
Selected OVOP Products in Pictures
OVOP Products and Designated Areas
Support for OVOP
Number of Funded Projects
Product PromotionMajor Challenges
Modest OVOP Achievements
Conclusion
Acknowledgements

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

2Brief on Malawi•••Location : Southern Central Africa;
Coverage : 118,484 sq km;
Population : 12.9 million (2005);•Economy: Agriculture based - supports 85 per cent of total population,generating 90 per cent of total export;
Main Exports : tobacco, sugar, tea, coffee, cotton;
Main Imports : electric goods, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, dailyproducts, machinery, fertilizer, chemicals;•••

Malawi Government Economic Policy Framework:– Malawi Growth and Development Strategy to reduce poverty througheconomic growth

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

3

Historical Development of Malawi OVOP••••OVOP movement started in Oita Prefecture under leadership of Dr. M.
Hiramatsu;
Movement spreads in Asia region and other regions including Africa;
Malawi Government officials visited Oita Prefecture in 2003;
Dr M. Hiramatsu briefs the Malawi delegation on the principles of One
Village One Product movement;•November 2003 :•December 2003 :•April 2004:•June 2005:•October 2005 :25th September 2007

OVOP National Workshop at COMESA HALL inBlantyre, Malawi;
Establishment of OVOP Secretariat at the Ministryof Agriculture;
OVOP Strategic Plan and Project Operational
Manual were publicized;
OVOP Secretariat was shifted to Ministry of Local
Government and Rural Development;
JICA funded “institutional and Human Resources
Development Project” started.
Malawi Embassy Presentation

4

The OVOP Message“We can not attract industries to rural inlands or isolated islands where wecannot get good transportation, excellent labors and appropriate
subcontractors. It is better for these areas to discover their potential local
resources, make full use of them and start businesses to increase theirincomes”, Dr. M. Hiramatsu.
A strategic movement for local people to identify local products of which
they are proud and develop them into competitive products which will be
accepted in the domestic market as well as the global market, (METI: ONE
VILLAGE ONE PRODUCT CAMPAIGN, 2006).

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

5

The OVOP Message(continued)

The development of products or services through value adding bycommunities using locally available resources in designated areas, (Malawi
OVOP Secretariat).

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

6

How OVOP is Organised in Malawi•••••

National OVOP Board chaired by the His Excellency thePresident
Ministry of Local Government headed by Minister
National Secretariat headed by National Coordinator
District Committees
Designated Communities

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

7

OVOP Objectives•••••

Public awareness of OVOP concept at village level;
Promote value adding technologies, such as agro – processing, quality
control and packaging, at the village level;
Facilitate small-scale business skills development at the village level;
Promote market linkages between products and services and domestic andexport markets;
Empowerment of communities through increased incomes.

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation8

Project Assessment
Process– Communities are trained in :• OVOP Concept;• Business Skills;• Agro-Processing;• Packaging;• Project Formulation;• Assessment.
– Project proposals are pre-assessed by National Secretariat and District
Committee teams;– Selected proposal groups are visited and assessed by Secretariat andDistrict teams;– Proposals are finally approved by OVOP National Board.
25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

9

Project Assessment (Continued)
Selection Criteria••••

Community centred (at least 14 persons);
Community identifies and utilises local resources with comparativeadvantage for value adding activities in a sustainable manner;
Demonstrate business planning so that the community could be
economically empowered;
Demonstrate strong initiative from beneficiaries themselves.

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation10

Selected OVOP Products
Designated Areas

Current Products
Palm oil Soap and Palm Cooking oil

Kaporo, Karonga

Tomato Jam, Mushroom, Cassava Bread, Soya milk,
Strawberry juice

Mitundu Model Village Factory,
Lilongwe

Bvumbwe Milk

Bvumbwe, Thyolo

Baobab Jam and Baobab OilMichiru, Blantyre

Cassava Flour

Rumphi and Lilongwe

Processed Vegetables

Bvumbwe, Thyolo

Moringa oil

Khumbo Oil Refinery, Blantyre

Rice

Bwanje Valley Ntcheu

Honey

Mulanje

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation11

Selected OVOP products(continued)

Proposed pipeline products
Cane Furniture

Katengeza Cane Furniture Group, Blantyre

WineMkondezi Wine Group, Nkhata BayFruit

MwanzaPotato ChipsPotato Chips Group, Tsangano, Ntcheu

HoneyMunlo Honey Group, Mulanje

BricksMalabada Brick Making group, Blantyre

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

12

Selected OVOP Products in pictures

Rice from Bwanje, Ntcheu

Baobab Cooking Oil from Blantyre

Milk from Bvumbwe

Baobab Jam from Blantyre

Local Bread from women groups

Honey from Mulanje

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

13

Support for OVOP
•Malawi Government– Incorporated in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy;– Technical support to the OVOP Secretariat;– Project evaluation;– Project Loans;– Market mobilisation and– Training.

•JICA– Support in the context of “ produce, sell and buy” initiative;– Technical support for short and long term experts (in businessadministration and management, agro processing, quality control,marketing, mushroom);– Training courses;– Web designing;– Grant assistance (30 per cent contribution and balance by beneficiary);– Machinery.

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

14

Number of Funded Projects

Year

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

total

Number ofProjects

4

14

44

4

13

46

Number ofBeneficiaries

700

2000

5500

590

pipeline

8,780

Funded Amount

3,300

8,467

4,400

845

pipeline

16,892

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation15

Product Promotion••••••

Participation in Malawi International Trade Fair;
Participation in the African Fair, Tokyo (2006);
Antenna Shops;
Product Promotion in Convenient Shops (Food Worth, Food Zone andSeven Eleven), and Duty Free Shop at Kamuzu International Airport;
OVOP products in some International Airports in Japan;
OVOP Website.

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation16

Major Challenges•••••••••

Transportation to market centres;
Sustainability of product supply;
Quality control at production sites;
Product visibility in major cities and towns;
Some project proposals lack understanding of OVOP concept;
Proposals seeking huge investments without a track record of businessexperience;
Agro-processing technologies;
Business skills development;
Seed finance.

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation17

Modest OVOP Achievements

••
•
•
•
•
•

Products are available in some local shops;
Malawi Bureau of Standards supporting quality checks on products;
JICA marketing expert volunteers available;
Communities are empowered;
Movement is expanding into other products;
OVOP emerging as a possible area of cooperation between Japan andMalawi;
Website for OVOP.

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

18

Conclusion••Oita experience replicated in Malawi with necessary adaptations toempower communities;
Goal is to produce competitive products for markets for a sustainableempowerment strategy.
Thank you for your attention.

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation

19

Acknowledgements

1.
2.
3.

4.

Malawi OVOP Secretariat, “OVOP Product Marketing Promotion”,
2007.
Malawi OVOP Secretariat, “OVOP Programme Design and District
Level Activities”, 2007.
H.E. Roosevelt L. Gondwe, “Poverty Reduction and One Village OneProduct” in FASID/MOFA International Symposium Synergy among
Development Assistance, FDI, and Trade in Southern Africa”, 1stDecember 2006.
Morihiko Hiramatsu, “The One Village One Product Movement
Spreading Worldwide”, 5th November 2005.

25th September 2007

Malawi Embassy Presentation20