The CIPE Civic Engagement Hub

The CIPE Civic Engagement Hub (CEH) is an incubator, resource hub, and co-working space for leading civic-minded organizations in Ethiopia. We recognize that the future of civic leadership in Ethiopia may not look like the past, and we’re interested in supporting the groups and individuals that are pioneering new approaches to community, regional, and national civic participation with an eye towards impact. Centrally located in the Center for International Private Enterprise’s East Africa Regional Office in Bole, the CEH is home to a growing community of civil society groups, social entrepreneurs, and businesses committed to developing innovative ways to help civic space flourish in Ethiopia.

Through the Civic Engagement Hub, CIPE is working to expand its focus to include newly forming and established civil society groups while challenging traditional ideas of civic leadership in order to recognize the important role social enterprises, businesses, and start-ups play in strengthening the fabric of Ethiopia’s civic space. At the CEH, we are developing a robust community of civic-minded entrepreneurs and organizations to give momentum to the renaissance of Ethiopia’s civil society. We support change leaders through three main channels: equipping civic-minded individuals and organizations with tools and resources to develop sustainable organizations and effectively engage stakeholders, offering community-building opportunities for CSOs and social entrepreneurs, and collaborating with civil society advocates to expand their engagement into the realm of digital advocacy and governance.

The Civic Engagement Hub is an initiative of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Ethiopia. CIPE has worked with more than eighty business membership organizations (BMOs) in all nine regions and two federal city administrations of Ethiopia. Through its engagement with local partners, CIPE supports evidenced-based policy dialogue and organizational sustainability to support civic engagement and reform. CIPE opened the doors to its East Africa Regional Office in Addis Ababa in 2018, and the office is now home to the CIPE Civic Engagement Hub.