New Value Chain Development
Project and Webpage

SNV, Netherlands Development Organisation, started a new project "Business Associations and their Access to Markets (BOAM)". The project focussing on value chain development in milk, honey/beeswax, edible oil and pineapple and on cross cutting issues like networking and policy dialogue. The webpage has just been published under www.business-ethiopia.com.

Exposition hold on Achievements of
Business Development Services in Ethiopia

On Wednesday, September 28 a national exposition has been organized  on Business Development Services (BDS) in relation to the phasing out of the Ethio-German Micro and Small Enterprise Development Project (GTZ) . 20 Private Sector Development related Partner Organizations - ReMSEDAs, FeMSEDA, NGOs like Progynist and Propride, Amhara and Tigray Women Entrepreneurs' Associations, industrial zones cluster intervention in Addis Ababa and support to self-employment of TVET graduates - presented their achievements. A new film on Business Success Stories produced by the GTZ MSE project has been inaugurated during the event.

Facilitators discussing with business owners

Business Development Services (BDS) intervention in the Industrial Clusters
of Addis Ababa

A cluster is a sectorial and geographic concentration of enterprises facing common opportunities and threats, e.g.: weavers, tailors, garments factories in the textile sector. 21 of our business advisors (BDS facilitators) have been stationed in 7 of the 23 industrial zone clusters in Addis. The 7 industrial zone include 164 enterprise with about 2,835 staffs in the wood and metal, textile and construction sectors. The facilitators deliver BDS services in order to solve problems related with power, water and road problems, lack of latrines, location which is far from customers, lack of technical training, administrative problems with the sub-cities and customers, shortage of working capital and lack of cluster association. In order to solve the major problems facilitators link enterprises to the respective institution or project: negotiate with sub-city on better road access, water, power supply and construction of latrines, prepare business plan and link to finance institutions for credit, link to training centers and support negotiations with potential public and private customers. More about our BDS - cluster intervention for download on

www.bds-ethiopia.net/sector-library

Non protected workshops against flood