Project "Ethiopia"
First educational CLIC hub in Ethiopia (under construction)
We are looking for a local partner and non-profit organisation “CLIC Ethiopia” to run this educational hub. CLIC Africa will support this project by looking for the necessary funds and by setting up a mentoring and advisory network of experienced subject specialists and entrepreneurs. We want to align the concept of this hub to the needs of the Ethiopian communities of Hawassa (273km south of Addis) and Addis Ababa. The most urgent challenge is the current high unemployment rate among young people; due to Ethiopia’s recent exclusion from AGOA (US duty free trading scheme), many young people working in the industrial parks around Hawassa and Addis have lost their jobs. Furthermore, figures from the Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) show that 82% of SMEs funded by them fail in less than 2 years mostly because entrepreneurs lack the skills for the business idea they have chosen to develop. The DBE has allocated a big loan package (70 Million EUR) to invest in ideas as part of a national initiative for 2023-2024 but there is a general lack of business ideas and of the right entrepreneurial skill sets.
To try and resolve this and to get young people back to work, CLIC Ethiopia will be setting up its Smart Business Incubation Lab with a consortium of partners to teach “skills of the future for the tech entrepreneurs of the future”. Together with these partners (e.g. Development Bank of Ethiopia -DBE, The Ministry of Education – Sidama Region, Women Association, Small & Medium Enterprises Agency, Youth Association) six priority fields have been selected based on the federal strategy on development. From those fields, based on popular demand, 31 Smart Industry Projects have been chosen for STEAM Entrepreneurship (=STEAME) training.
This entrepreneurship training will cover the teaching of a large variety of theoretical and hands-on skills (STEAM) in the first educational hub which will comprise different labs i.e. digital, fabrication and field labs, in which students will spend three months training in their Smart Industry field in groups of 3 to 7 to learn the skills to develop marketable products and services. After this they will spend a further three months in the Smart Business Incubation Lab to get ready to start up and run their ‘Tech Enterprise of the Future’.
This project is closely aligned with CLIC Africa’s vision: to build knowledge and skills for young people and adults so that they can gain confidence in their professional life and contribute fully to the economic and social well-being of their communities. Through the consortium of partners and the close cooperation with local entrepreneurs, organisations and companies, we will focus on maximising the number of tech oriented SME’s starting up successfully and on supporting them on their journey to lasting success.
