Timor-Leste
As of end-2025, MDF TL had stimulated
USD 6.8m
in private sector investment
and generated
USD 11.96m
in additional income
for
88,237
women and men
Our work in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste has achieved much since gaining independence in 1999. Significant progress has been made to consolidate stability and peace in the nation. However, Timor-Leste still faces challenges in growing and diversifying its economy away from natural resources. Private sector investment is limited, and there are few exports aside from oil, gas and coffee.
MDF is working in Timor-Leste to support economic diversification to stimulate investment and encourage business growth, focusing on economic sectors with pro-poor income and employment potential. MDF’s two priority sectors in Timor-Leste are agriculture and tourism, aligned with the economic development priorities of the Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan (2011 – 2030). MDF's work on building farmer and value chain resilience supports the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA).
- Read our story on supporting the growth of the pig sector in Timor-Leste to learn more about our work.
Climate Change
Climate change and disaster resilience is a central part of MDF’s theory of change. Coffee is particularly vulnerable to global warming.
MDF also has a small portfolio of work in green energy solutions – including supporting a solar service provider, improving financing options and exploring the potential of biogas.
Inclusive Growth
As at end-2025, MDF had generated a cumulative USD 11,969,065 in additional income for poor women and men, with women accounting for over 50 per cent of people benefitting. MDF’s work in the coffee and pigs sectors, in particular, have resulted in improving employment opportunities and strengthening the skills of women farmers.
MDF's Disability Inclusion Strategy, created in 2024, draws insights from Timor- Leste’s Disability National Action Plan 2021-2030. MDF works with businesses and organisations for people with disability (OPDs) to enhance the participation of people with disability in the economy as leaders, innovators and contributors. This includes working with OPDs such as Ra’es Hadomi Timor Oan (RHTO) to strengthen their monitoring and evaluation skills and better understand the prevalence of people with disability in the coffee and pig sectors.
Our activities
Scroll left and right to find out more about our activities and interventions in Timor-Leste
International Youth Day 2026
This International Youth Day, Market Development Facility (MDF) Timor-Leste celebrates the stories of whose journeys began in different communities but are united by a shared vision for the future.
IYD2026: Meet the Youth Building a Healthier Future for Timor-Leste
Nuncio da Costa and Santiago Ribeiro come from different parts of Timor-Leste, but they share the same aspiration: to improve the country’s animal health and livestock production.
#IYD2026: Answering the Call While Building Careers in Tourism Customer Service
When Marquelina and Dioneiya joined APAC Tourism, they brought with them very different experiences.
IYD2026: Young People Cultivating the Future of Coffee
Nestled in the mountains of Liquiçá Municipality, Darulete is a long and challenging journey from Dili. The winding roads climb steeply through rugged terrain before reaching a valley. Here, coffee farming is more than a source of income.
Coffee Nursery Guide
A practical guide supports coffee farmers and nursery operators in Timor-Leste to produce healthy, high-quality coffee seedlings
Building Skills for Timor-Leste’s Emerging Call Centre Industry
MDF is helping build practical skills and international exposure for Timorese workers in Timor-Leste’s emerging call centre industry.