Major multinational food and drink companies have a powerful role to play as drivers of economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. By sourcing materials from poor countries in the region, for sale in domestic and international markets, these businesses can create jobs for local people and boost agricultural production.

Global companies are starting to integrate the poor into their value chains as suppliers, distributors and retailers in ways that are profitable for their business. These approaches are what the United Nations Development Programme calls “inclusive business models”.

In December 2008, for example, global brewing giant SABMiller announced plans to increase the number of smallholder farmers around the world that it buys raw materials from by 15,000. The company hopes to do this by 2012 by expanding enterprise development projects in countries including Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania. This, it says, will create jobs for farmers in these countries that will develop their skills and provide them with economic empowerment.

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