Speaker Session: Challenges and Opportunities for Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia

September 30, 2021

On September 30, 2021, the CIPE CEH hosted its second speaker series on ‘Challenges and Opportunities for Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia’. 14 participants attended the event. The three panelists – Dr. Woretaw Bezabih (Aimiro Entrepreneurship Development Share Company), Ms. Ruth Yohannes (The Talent Firm), and Mr. Boru Shana (Entrepreneurship Development Center) – shared their experiences with entrepreneurship as well as challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurship in Ethiopia and highlighted the importance of youth entrepreneurial engagement to increase civic engagement. Panelists highlighted four key areas throughout the session:

  1. The importance of creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurship
  2. The need to increase experience sharing between new and established entrepreneurs
  3. The importance of helping entrepreneurs identify clear market opportunities as part of entrepreneurship training
  4. The provision of grant and networking opportunities as key recommendations to improve the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Ethiopia.

During the speaker session, speakers shared the correlation between youth entrepreneurship and youth civic engagement and its use as a tool for civic engagement that addresses social, economic, and political concerns. Following the speaker session, CIPE hosted a networking session to allow participants to build connections.