ACCESS! Business Counseling Program Started to be Operational in Ethiopia
The
Center for African Women Economic Empowerment (CAWEE), being the ACCESS! Focal
Point for Ethiopia signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International
Trade Center (ITC), in April 2011, to be able to implement the Business
Counseling component of the ACCESS! Program.
With the financial
support secured form the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and
the technical support form ITC, that is the program executing organization, the
Business Counseling component of the ACCESS! program started with an
information session, on the 11th of April 2011, where twenty five (25)
companies were present.
Following
the information session was interview conducted to identify companies that can
go through the process of the business counseling, where 26companies (where two women entrepreneurs were
representing their two companies each) went through the interview process. Out
of those interviewed 15 of them showed interest to get involved through the
counseling process and also agreed on cost sharing.
The
business counseling program was officially launched on the 17th of
May 2011 at Ghion hotel. During the official launch, representative from ITC,
Mr. Christian Planchette was present. During the launch, 12 women entrepreneurs
representing their companies, 10 Enterprise Management and Development (EMD)
advisors and three ACCESS! trainers took part.
The
business counseling launch event was popularized very well getting both print
and electronic media coverage. The event had the coverage on seven news papers,
two of them English (The Ethiopian Herald and The Daily Monitor) and the rest
Amharic newspapers, which had wide distribution coverage.
In
starting the implementation, with the fifteen (15) companies (all of them based
in Addis Ababa, the main capital city of Ethiopia) that showed interest, contracts
were signed amongst the three main actors of the project, i.e. CAWEE, the EMD
advisor/ACCESS! Trainer and the company/client. With the companies that signed the contract,
the actual business counseling process started in July 2011 and it is expected
to get finalized end of December 2011. Out of those companies involved, 2 -3
selected finalists will be connected to the international market, through
participating in international trade shows, buyer-seller meetings and match
making.
CAWEE Secured Funding from the EU-CDE (Center for Development of Enterprises) to Continue Business Counseling
In
further implementing the ACCESS! Business counseling program, focusing in four
major Regions of Ethiopia, CAWEE signed a contract with CDE, on the 20th
of October, 2011. The financial grant form the CDE side is Euro 77,000 and
CAWEE is expected to cost share Euro 48,000.
The
program is expected to be implemented in one year time involving 50 women owned
and managed companies. Out of the 50 companies expected to go through the
business counseling process, 10 of the selected finalists will be connected to
the international market, through participating in international trade shows,
buyer-seller meetings and match making. This part of the business counseling
program will start to be operational in November 2011.
CAWEE
would like to invite women entrepreneur candidates, who would like to go
through the business counseling process, form those four Regions, mainly from
the specified business towns – Amhara (Baherdar & Gondar business towns),
Oromia (Adama and Bishoftu business towns), Tigray (Mekele business town) and
Southern Regions (Awassa business town),
Candidates need to
consider the following eligibility criteria when applying:
§
Women
managed/owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs);
§
Women
entrepreneurs already exporting or with export potential;
§
Women
entrepreneurs that are above secondary school education;
§
National
trade support organizations, like associations of women entrepreneurs.
Application
is open from November 01, 20111 up to December 06, 2011
Candidates
are encouraged to contact CAWEE’s office through the following address:
Center
for African Women Economic Empowerment (CAWEE)
Kirkos
Sub-city, Kebele 08/09, House No. 1166/11
Tel: 0113
– 20 60 65, 09 11 40 29 57; 09 23 27 90 25
Fax: 0113
20 60 66
E- mails: cawee@ethionet.et or cawee07@yahoo.com
ors.gebre@hotmail.com
P.O.Box –
41293,
Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia
ACCESS! focal point coordinator
For more information about ACCESS! programme in Ethiopia, please contact our coordinator
Ms. Nigest Haile - CAWEE's Executive Director
cawee@ethionet.et / cawee07@yahoo.com
ACCESS! NATIONAL TRAINING TEAM
The ACCESS! training team is ready to share its vast knowledge and expertise in enterprise development through trainings and Business Counselling. Our team of trainers will help you through the key aspects of learning to do business internationally.
For more information please contact our team:
Mr. Solomon Wole - Director, Enterprise Ethiopia
ee@ethionet.et
Ms. Asseghedech Woldelul - Lecturer at admas College
awoldelul@hotmail.com / awoldelul@yahoo.com
Mr. Dereje Alemu - National women Entrepreneurship Development Expert for the ILO WEDGE, Ethiopia project
dereje@ilo.org
Ms. Nahusenaye Girma - Optima Consultancy & Marketing, Plc
gsnahu@yahoo.com
Mr. Afework Yohanness - Managing Director - BCaD, Consulting Management
bcad@ethionet.et / www.aworks.com.et