The Women in Agribusiness Leadership Network Expands to over 250 Agribusiness and Agriculture Entrepreneurs across Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia–The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Agribusiness Market Development Activity (AGP-AMDe) launched the second round of business and leadership training for 130 women participants from the Women in Agribusiness Leadership Network, at the Capital Hotel in Addis Ababa.
The new members are high-potential women leaders in agribusiness from across the country and will receive training and coaching to build skills in business planning, management and marketing. Through a series of workshops with experts, the women business owners will develop leadership skills that enable growth and confidence. In addition, the new members will participate in a mentorship program for even more women-led micro and small enterprises to share experience, skills and knowledge about business management.
Although women in Ethiopia make up nearly half of the agriculture work force, they only represent 20% of members of agricultural cooperatives countrywide. As a result, they have less access to resources, financial services and land than their male counterparts. The WALN aims to provide members with the support and resources needed to better plan and manage their businesses as well as information on savings and loan services.
Asmeret, WALN member from Gondar, at the market.
“There are approximately 22 million Ethiopian women doing everything they can to support their community, but do we see them? No, because the visible actors are nearly always men. Agriculture is considered men’s work, but who is really doing all the work? The women,” USAID AGP-AMDe Chief of Party, Vanessa Adams, told the new members. “There is no limit to your vision. WALN could one day cross borders to include women entrepreneurs in Kenya, Sudan or Uganda.”
USAID AGP-AMDe initially launched the Women in Agribusiness Leadership Network in May of 2014 with over 100 participants from the regions of Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and SNNPR as well as Addis Ababa. In its first year, 90% of WALN members successfully completed the program. The group is currently registering itself with the Ethiopian government and building a block of agribusiness leaders watching out for the interests of Ethiopian women, proving there is an urgent demand for women-specific business organizations and support.
“It is vital to see the continuation of WALN in order to link producers with traders, traders with exporters. There are members at every place in the supply chain,” said Hadia Mohammed, Chairwoman of the Ethiopian Womens’ Exporter Association.
Dahab Mesfin, owner of Diamond Coffee Enterprise and WALN member from the first round of recruitment, was on hand to tell the new members about her experience.
“A lot of women think there is a finite market out there, but Ethiopia and Africa are enormous. There is enough room for everybody to find their place. I always tell the women I mentor that anybody can copy your product but nobody can copy you,” she explained.
Dahab owns 200 hectares of coffee cultivation in Kaffa in the South of Ethiopia. She markets forest green coffee as well as the coffee from another 100 hectares of neighboring outgrowers. Last year she exported approximately one container of specialty coffee to Germany and is looking to expand production by 50% in 2015.
She is a model member for her diligence and commitment to grow and help other women grow their business. Dehab successfully completed the business leadership training organized by WALN and she mentored three women to grow their businesses.
“When I joined WALN, I had a five year plan in my head. The training allowed me to put the plan on paper and begin achieving my business goals,” she says.
WALN also gave her the opportunity to attend specialty coffee shows in Kenya and a women coffee vendor exhibition in Brazil.
“WALN taught me to speak in front of people,” she explains in English. “I was shy and had a difficult time speaking to buyers. I’m no longer worried about negotiating.
Currently, Dehab is preparing her business to obtain organic coffee certification by designing and developing a coffee traceability model.
Dehab is also a member of the Ethiopian Women in Coffee organization, which was created by WALN members members.
Mantegbosh, WALN member from SNNPR and coffee grower
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The Agribusiness Market Development activity (AMDe) is Feed the Future’s flagship program in Ethiopia and represents one of USAID’s largest contributions to the Government of Ethiopia‘s Agricultural Growth Program. The $3.5bn Feed the Future, global hunger and food security initiative was created by President Obama and sustains the U.S. Government´s commitment as one of Ethiopia’s largest partners in developing the agriculture sector