John
Meadley John has been concerned with
the economic development of developing countries since 1968, for over
twenty years focusing on the development of the private sector and with
twenty-five years as a Chief Executive. In 1983 he established Rural Investment Overseas Ltd
(RIO) to promote investment in developing countries. Starting initially
in the agribusiness sector, the need for new forms of financing and of
support to the rural enterprise sector soon became clear. RIO promoted
several new financial intermediaries in Africa including three equity
funds, a bank promoted by African entrepreneurs and the first corporate
mutual guarantee scheme in Africa. He combines his training in agriculture
with his practical experience of running a business and of working with
hundreds of businesses in developing countries. In 2001 he led a mission to Sierra Leone, for DFID, to plan a new initiative to support community reintegration in the war-affected areas – adopting an approach that sought to bring about reconciliation and reintegration through stimulating economic development and increasing opportunity for all involved in, and affected by, the war. He has continued to apply this same approach in Sierra Leone and in Liberia – in the latter case helping to build a programme to rebuild the capacity of artisans and to create opportunities for young people to become apprentices. In 2003 he was asked to participate in a review of DFID’s approach to social marketing and has subsequently been involved in reviewing donor-funded investments in the social marketing of treated mosquito nets and family planning services in Kenya, Tanzania, the DRC (Congo) and Pakistan.
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