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April 17, 2019

Training in Japan Inspires Change

The world is changing into a place where people create and invent; the days of finding lifelong employment with one entity are now a rarity. In Ethiopia, the country is producing more graduates than the number of jobs available in the market; leaving many unemployed and worried. The Government of Ethiopia believes one of the solutions to this problem is to encourage innovation and out-of-the-box thinking for a nation that is highly steeped in doing things the traditional way. By encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting micro and small enterprises, the hope is to create more jobs, grow the private sector and inject new ideas into the economy.

In March, JICA's Business Development Services Enhancement project (BDS), arranged for eight individuals to visit Japan in a bid to better understand how the country nurtures entrepreneurship and small businesses. The trip was composed of government officials involved in promoting small and medium enterprises, urban job creation as well as trade and industry. While in Japan they were able to attend workshops and visit enterprises working on: innovative finance schemes and products, incubations for innovative startups, SME consultant and counselor systems and BDS network systems.

At a workshop organized in Addis Ababa on April 17, the returnees from Japan shared what they had learned with 80 members of their organization and public servants from three sub-cities where BDS efforts are being piloted. Present at the workshop, Mr. Endawek Abite, Vice-Deputy Mayor of Addis Ababa, expressed that Ethiopians should use the good-practices gathered from Japan and JICA to build long-lasting solutions in Ethiopia.

Mr. Asfaw Abebe, Director General of the Federal Small and Medium Manufacturing Promotion Authority (FeSMMIDA), who also attended the trip to Japan, emphasized on the need to strengthen entrepreneurs already in the pipeline, while working towards encouraging the creation of start-up businesses. "This workshop is the starting point of our plan for building a BDS system for start-ups and SME's in Addis Ababa, from there we can scale-up nationwide, " he added during his closing remarks at the workshop.

The workshop ended with participants invigorated by the ideas shared. Based on the outcome of the workshop, another high-level forum for government officials, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the National Bank of Ethiopia is being organized.

(JICA BDS Project is being carried out in collaboration with the Federal Small and Medium Manufacturing Promotion Authority (FeSMMIDA), the Federal Urban Job Creation and Food Security Agency, and Addis Ababa City Administration (FeUJCFSA).

PhotoMr. Asfaw Abebe speaking about his experience in Japan

PhotoMr. Wendmaneh Jimma presenting on MSME skill training and training of consultants.

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