8 November 2022

Gender-sensitive business challenge at Agarfa ATVET College in Ethiopia

Last week, our colleague Lisa and training partner Julot (Gender2Connect) travelled to Ethiopia to give a 4-day training of the trainers of Agarfa ATVET College. The training was part of the Nuffic project: ‘Optimized horticulture production by capacity building in the field of irrigation, post-harvest management, marketing techniques and value addition in Ethiopia’.

The training was built around a business challenge, in which the trainers of the college, in groups, went through all the steps of setting up their own business according to the Business Model Canvas method. They were encouraged to think outside the box for their business ideas, and to start with the why. Why do you exist? What specific value do you add to your customers?

According to the Business Model Canvas method, the groups came up with four different business ideas. A dairy farm that used machine milking to ensure quality, a business selling eggs to wholesalers in large quantities, and two fruits and vegetables businesses: one selling indigenous Ethiopian varieties, and the other one with special ingredients to spice up peoples’ diets. All creative and inspiring in their own way.

Besides entrepreneurship, empowerment of women and youth was also incorporated in the program and covered by our partner Gender2Connect. Access to finance was covered by an interesting guest lecture about eligibility for loans for future entrepreneurs.

The purpose of the training was to educate the new generation of agri-preneurial professionals in Ethiopia to fight the unemployment gap after graduation.

Thank you, Chala Fereya, for the wonderful facilitation of the training, looking forward to future cooperations!

Hereby a brief flashback to last week:

Agarfa demo farm

Agarfa demo farm

Participants at work

Participants at work

Field visit to poultry farm

Field visit to poultry farm

Agarfa site tour

Agarfa TVET site tour

Participants at work

Participants at work

Participants at work

Participants at work

Participants at work

Participants at work

Pitch contest

Pitch contest

Visit to poultry farm

Visit to poultry farm

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