In accordance with the Growth and Transformation plan (GTP), the overarching objective of government is to reduce poverty by 2015. This includes an emphasis on the unleashing of the potential of micro and small enterprise sector to create employment opportunities, wealth and alleviate poverty through entrepreneurial skills training and provision of business development services. Many initiatives have been put in place to meet these objectives; among these is the Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC- Ethiopia), the lead implementing agency of the Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP).

The EDP is an innovative development initiative launched by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia represented by the Ministry of Urban Development, Housing and Construction (MoUDHCo) and the Federal Micro and Small Enterprises Agency (FeMSEDA),   in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), along with support from the Government of Canada. The program aims to foster the emergence and growth of an indigenous cadre of competitive and sustainably profitable SMEs in Ethiopia.

The Entrepreneurship Development Center- Ethiopia was officially launched in May 2013 with the aim of identifying growth oriented enterprises as well as potential entrepreneurs. This is done in order to equip the target beneficiaries with much needed entrepreneurial skills and competencies that enable them to establish, run and operate sustainable, profitable and competitive businesses. Indigenous entrepreneurs with enhanced capacity to unleash their full potential for job creation, income generation and improving livelihoods are thereby able to contribute to poverty reduction in Ethiopia. The target beneficiaries of the services provided by the EDC- Ethiopia are growth-oriented enterprises as well as potential entrepreneurs, unemployed youth, women entrepreneurs and university students.

The Center currently provides a comprehensive package of support services to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Potential entrepreneurs as well as existing micro and small enterprises (MSEs) are offered a flagship 6-day Entrepreneurship Training Workshop (ETW), intensive entrepreneurship training as well as and other customized entrepreneurship trainings. The trainings are complemented with a comprehensive and integrated range of business development support and advisory services for targeted beneficiaries. These include entrepreneurial and management skills training, technical assistance in the preparation and review of business plans, business counseling, assistance in sourcing credit, and assistance in identifying local subcontracting opportunities between micro and small enterprises with larger local companies.

In order to have competent local entrepreneurship trainers and Business Development Service (BDS) Advisors, the center provides additional training for selected potential trainers and BDS Advisors. Business development support and advisory services (BDS) are also provided to business owners to improve their business management and operational skills and thereby enhance their capacity to become competitive, more profitable and expand or diversify existing businesses in order to establish new sustainable businesses.

Recent additions to the services provided by EDC-Ethiopia include Innovation for Development Service that provides support for innovators and entrepreneurs with innovative ideas as well as other innovation services. The EDC-Ethiopia has direct responsibility for delivering the service mix mentioned above in addition to developing best practices and piloting promising initiatives for entrepreneurship development. The Center also in the process of inaugurating five Centers of Excellence for Entrepreneurship established in five selected public Universities in the country.

The head offices of the Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC)- Ethiopia are located on the third floor of Nega City  Mall, Kazanchis, Addis Ababa. In order to expand and increase the geographic coverage of the activities and services, EDC-Ethiopia also has four regional offices that have been established in four regions including SNNPR with a regional office located in Hawassa, in Tigray with a regional office located in Mekelle, in the Amhara region with a regional office located in Bahir Dar as well as in the Oromiya region with a regional office located in Bishoftu.

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