Applying the Most Significant Change (MSC) Method: A case study using the Business Acceleration for Youth Project in Malawi
2024
Mzumara, Grace | Ngige, Chris Mwangi | Nkhambule, Emily | Sheriff, Ramadhan Kadammanja | Slane, David
This insight note documents the application of the Most Significant Change (MSC) methodology in USAID Malawi's Business Acceleration for Youth project. MSC is a participatory qualitative approach that captures project outcomes through stakeholder storytelling. The project targeted youth-led enterprises (ages 18-35) across agriculture, agroprocessing, tourism, and manufacturing sectors in four Malawian districts. The five-step process involved defining change domains, collecting success stories, selecting impactful narratives, qualitative analysis, and stakeholder feedback. From 15 collected stories, seven were shortlisted and reviewed by Business Development Service providers. Trust Majamanda's story emerged as most significant, demonstrating business formalization, revenue doubling (from $1,176 to $2,353), workforce expansion from 4 to 6 employees, and achieving pre-certification from Malawi Bureau of Standards for her fortified porridge flour business. Key challenges included reviewer conceptualization difficulties and feedback delays. The methodology proved cost-effective for maximizing qualitative data utility while engaging diverse stakeholders in evaluation processes.
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