Investment Climate Reform Facility

The ICR Facility is one of British Council’s global Non-Formal Education (NFE) programmes co-funded by the European Union (EU), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF), together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the British Council. It is jointly implemented with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Expertise France (EF), and Stichting Nederlandse Ontwikkelingsorganisatie (Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV).

The ICR Facility supports ACP countries to create a more conducive and sustainable business environment and investment climate, especially in support of women´s and youth’s economic empowerment. The ICR Facility provides the tools, resources, evidence etc. to public (e.g., Ministries/Departments/Agencies, etc.) and private (e.g., Employers’ associations, Chamber of Commerce, Business Member organisations, etc.) stakeholders, to undertake business environment and investment climate improvements (in various areas) that support the inclusion of young people and women in the economy agenda of ACP countries.

The ICR Facility has provided technical assistance to Social Enterprise Ethiopia to improve the business environment for social enterprises in the country.

2021

NAME OF REQUESTER ORGANISATION: Social Enterprise Ethiopia

PROJECT NAME: Improving the Business Environment Reform for Social Enterprises in Ethiopia

CONTEXT: Social enterprises are playing a crucial role in the economic growth of Ethiopia but more support is needed to enable their growth. Social Enterprise Ethiopia is the membership body for social enterprises in Ethiopia.

In 2021, Social Enterprise Ethiopia had worked with different key sector actors and development partners in developing the National Enterprise Strategy but more work to ensure the needs of social entrepreneurs and enterprises were specifically recognised and addressed in the strategy was required.

OBJECTIVE: The technical assistance was to incorporate the recommendations from the previous policy analysis on social enterprises in the National Enterprise Strategy and its Plan of Action. It was also to improve the capacity of Social Enterprise Ethiopia to better support the social enterprise sector in Ethiopia.

RESULT: At the end of the intervention, a set of criteria to define social enterprises in Ethiopia and a task force to support mainstreaming of social enterprises in the National Enterprise Strategy with associated action plan and monitoring evaluation plan were developed for Social Enterprise Ethiopia. Capacity building workshops were also delivered to better enable Social Enterprise Enthiopia to mobilise resources, increase their advocacy work and to support more social enterprises in Ethiopia.

Social Enterprise Ethiopia has since the closure of the intervention used the resources and tools to secure several grants for their work, contibuting to the sustainabiity of the association. In addition, they have been able to contribute to a draft new law, which is now in place to support the social enterprise sector in Ethiopia.

By supporting Social Enterprise Ethiopia to improve the business environment for social enterprises in Ethiopia, we indirectly support women’s economic empowerment as 1 out of every 3 social enterprise leaders in Ethiopia is a woman and the social mission of majority of social enterprises focuses on achieving social and environmental outcomes that benefit women.