Computer based training

1.  Background

This 3-year project funded by Austria is one of the components of UNIDO’s Integrated Programme for Ethiopia (IP) and is funded by the Austrian Government. The MSME sector plays a vital role in the industrial development of Ethiopia. It is recognised that this sector provides not only employment opportunities to an increasing number of people in the country, but it is also an effective means of fighting poverty and income inequality. 

2.  Project Objectives

The overall objective is the transformation of the MSME sector into a dynamic force capable of contributing to the economic growth in Ethiopia.

3.  Project Activities

The following activities were planned and implemented since the start of the project in 2001: promotion of small businesses, capacity building for support institutions in providing business development services, and entrepreneurship development (including women entrepreneurship). 

The partner institutions and beneficiaries for the UNIDO projects are: FeMSEDA, Oromia ReMSEDA, SNNPR Trade, Industry, Tourism and Transport Bureau, Enterprise Ethiopia, Women Entrepreneurship Associations, Chamber of Commerce and Ethiopian Manufacturing Industries Association.

The fundamental principle of implementation is “integration” and capacity building. 

• Capacities of FeMSEDA and SNNPR and Oromia ReMSEDAs as well as a core group of support institutions have been strengthened to provide support services to the SME sector, including BDS and counselling.

• Paperless training has been introduced, based on computers and use of CD-Roms, thus narrowing the digital gap.

• Training modules for training of trainers in business counselling, business extension, BDS and Women Entrepreneurship Development have been developed and field-tested. These modules are being used by the trainers trained by UNIDO.

• A number of enterprises have been assisted both in business management and production techniques according to the sectors they are engaged in.

So far the following partnerships have been strengthened:

• The project has absorbed the Joint UNIDO/UNCTAD Programme for Enterprise Development in Ethiopia where Enterprise Ethiopia (EE) that implements UNCTAD’s EMPRETEC Programme provides training in business management and the relevant sectoral project in the IP provides technical training to the same group of entrepreneurs. This collaboration has turned into a genuine partnership where UNIDO trains EE’s trainers in business advisory courses and TOT programmes and EE makes available premises and supplementary computers for UNIDO’s training activities.

 
Metal works in Nazreth

-  The project and its beneficiaries are also reaping the fruits of a similar partnership with GTZ: A GTZ-financed trainer, after having completed his assignment with the GTZ project, was training the beneficiary institutions of the UNIDO project on provision of business development services (BDS) and organisational development. In a recent UNIDO workshop on business consultancy, UNIDO trained GTZ and EE trainers, GTZ made a financial contribution and EE made available some computers to this “paperless training”, using only computers.

• As a result of newly introduced cooperation with the Dutch Development Cooperation (SNV), beneficiaries of the UNIDO project have been able to participate in a workshop on design and commercial aspects of craft industry, subsidised by SNV. UNIDO will, at a later stage, contribute to this cooperation by providing technical and entrepreneurship training from the MSME project or from other sectoral projects in the IP, such as quality and environmental aspects.

Naturally, the project activities are fully integrated into the activities of the sectoral projects in the IP. The technical training courses have so far been organised by joining forces with the projects in the leather and agricultural machinery sectors emphasising techniques of production and quality and environmental aspects – UNIDO’s speciaisations.

Impact – some figures: 

So far 14 companies have been established: 4 of them business consultants, 1 School, 1 Biscuit factory, 1 photocopy and binding services, 2 metalworking workshops, 2 NGOs, 1 clothes retailer, 1 food retailer and 1 advertising company. Altogether 63 jobs have been created. Furthermore a business consultancy network has been launched (28 members), which is in the process of transforming into an association.
Webpage: www.birtunet.com/ecg, and a number of enterprises have improved or expanded their businesses as a result of UNIDO assistance.

In total 197 participants, 69 female, took part in capacity building programmes so far. 

Contact:

Tezer Ulusay de Groot, Project Manager, UNIDO, Vienna,
e-mail: t.ulusay-de-groot@unido.org