BIC Ethiopia

01/12/2025

🎉 Wrapping Up the BIC Ethiopia Finance Masterclass

Last week, we successfully concluded the 3-day BIC Ethiopia Finance Masterclass, an intensive, high-impact workshop offered by adelphi to enhance financial capabilities and support the sustainable growth of selected startups and MSMEs.

Over three transformative days, participants deepened their skills through:
🔹 Smart Financial Planning
🔹 Practical Tools for Business Management
🔹 Strategies to Boost Performance & Investment Readiness

This Masterclass was more than training; it was an opportunity for entrepreneurs to rethink how they build, scale, and sustain their businesses in the real world. 🌱

💰 And here’s the exciting part:
Successful graduates qualify for up to €4,000 in Seed Capital Matching Grant, providing a powerful boost to turn strategy into tangible business growth!

We’re proud to be a part of this journey of capacity building, innovation, and impact. 👏

The Program is co-funded by the European Union
sequa gGmbH Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (AACCSA) adelphi GrowthAfrica - Growth Frontiers Icehawassa Stiftung Menschen für Menschen - Karlheinz Böhms Äthiopienhilfe

14/08/2025

09/07/2025

We are excited to share a recap of the successful 3-day BIC Ethiopia “Finance Your Business” Masterclass Workshop, which took place from June 30 to July 2 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and co-funded by the European Union.

Implemented by research gGmbH, this intensive training was tailored for Agri-tech and Agri-business entrepreneurs, equipping founders and business representatives with practical financial management skills, tools, and strategies critical to business sustainability and growth.

💡 What Participants Gained:
Financial planning and budgeting essentials
Cash flow and working capital management
Understanding unit economics for agribusinesses
Preparing for fundraising and investment readiness
Strategic alignment of finance with business objectives
This hands-on Masterclass is a key component of the BIC Ethiopia program, supporting innovative and impact-driven startups in the agricultural sector.

💰 Seed Capital Grant Opportunity
Selected participants from this Masterclass will be awarded the BIC Ethiopia seed capital grant, a funding opportunity designed to accelerate early-stage growth and support the development of their agribusiness ventures. This grant aims to empower promising entrepreneurs by providing the financial boost needed to implement their business plans, strengthen operations, and enhance their market presence. The grant selection is competitive and forms part of the broader BIC Ethiopia initiative to foster innovation and resilience in the agricultural sector.

We extend our sincere appreciation to all facilitators, mentors, and the ambitious cohort of entrepreneurs who participated and contributed to this success!

sequa gGmbH Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (AACCSA) adelphi GrowthAfrica - Growth Frontiers Icehawassa Stiftung Menschen für Menschen - Karlheinz Böhms Äthiopienhilfe

24/01/2025

ETHIOPIA: APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN!​
Imagine transforming your agribusiness or AgriTech startup into a thriving venture that attracts customers, creates jobs, and scales sustainably. This isn’t just a dream—it’s what the BIC Ethiopia Catalyzer Programme delivers. ​

Are you an Ethiopian agribusiness or AgriTech entrepreneur looking to scale your business? Applications are NOW OPEN for the next cohort of the BIC Ethiopia Catalyzer Programme. Don’t miss out!​

WHY APPLY?​
☑Business training and development support​
☑Tools to help grow your revenue ​
☑Peer-to-peer learning​
☑Potential access of up to EUR 4,000 in grants and EUR 50,000 in discounted loans​

TARGET APPLICANTS​
We’re looking for ambitious Ethiopian entrepreneurs:​
☑Operating small and medium-sized businesses​
☑Located in and around Addis Ababa, Ethiopia​
☑Operating in the Agribusiness, food processing and AgriTech sectors​
☑Businesses with strong potential for creating jobs​
☑Business registration is not required​

KEY DATES​
Applications close: 13th February 2025 at 11:59pm​
Programme start: 5th March 2025 and runs for 4months​

JOIN OTHER FOUNDERS​
GrowthAfrica has through the previous 5 programmes incubated and supported 51 business and 93 entrepreneurs. Among the previous participants are: Eyob Abera, Founder of Coffee Terminal, Elias Gezahegn Founder of Garden Dairy, Berhanu Woldegiorgis Founder of Berhan integrated farm, Abenezer Gobeze Founder of Maritu Agroprocessing Private Enterprise, Jbessa Chala, Founder of Sweet dairy farm, to mention but a few. ​

APPLY NOW: ​
Click here to join the next generation of agribusiness leaders: https://bit.ly/BICEthiopia2025 ​

BACKGROUND: ​
INFO on BIC Ethiopia. https://bic-ethiopia.eu/ ​

QUESTIONS:​
Reach out to Meselu: [email protected] or call +251947961065.​

22/07/2024

🌟🌟The continuous journey of empowering start-up founders and entrepreneurs with basic financial literacy🌟

Last week, BIC ETHIOPIA successfully finalized the fifth cohort of basic financial literacy training for startup founders and entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively manage their company's finances by understanding basic financial concepts such as budgeting, cash flow management, and financial statements, startup founders can make informed decisions that will help their businesses thrive and grow. Additionally, the training offered to the startups avoids common financial pitfalls, such as overspending or taking on too much debt, which can quickly lead to financial hardship. Investing in financial literacy training for themselves and key team members helps them achieve long-term success and sustainability.

The training session covered the basic know-how needed to secure a seed grant for their business. Participants learned how to develop a convincing budget and timeline and identify potential funding sources. Additionally, the training provided tips on how to effectively communicate with their business goals and impact to potential funders.

During this session, the facilitator incorporated various teaching methods, including interactive activities, group discussions, exchange of ideas, sharing perspectives, and exploring different viewpoints. This multifaceted approach not only kept the participants actively involved but also allowed them to apply what they learned in real-time scenarios.

In conclusion, the participant's praise highlights the value of these elements in creating a meaningful and impactful learning experience. As workshops continue to evolve, incorporating these best practices will ensure they remain relevant and beneficial for all attendees.

The program is co-funded by the European Union delegation to Ethiopia.

sequa gGmbH Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (AACCSA) adelphi GrowthAfrica - Growth Frontiers Icehawassa Stiftung Menschen für Menschen - Karlheinz Böhms Äthiopienhilfe

04/07/2024

🎥 An overview of financial products for Ethiopian MSMEs

Let’s take a moment to remember about the impactful BIC Ethiopia Agri-Finance Lab.

In 2023, BIC Ethiopia hosted an engaging innovative finance lab as an exclusive opportunity for the Ethiopian financial sector. The lab provided expert guidance for financial ecosystem actors through a competitive innovation process in which expert teams co-creatively develop innovative financial instruments with an agri-finance and MSME focus. After intense competition, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and a private Digital Financial Service provider Kacha | ካቻ , emerged as the winner and secured a piloting seed fund. These institutions displayed unique innovative financial products designed to support SMEs and agri-tech startups, showcasing their dedication to promoting innovation and business growth in Ethiopia.

In Ethiopia, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are increasingly becoming important for the economy, contributing significantly to employment and GDP. However, access to finance remains one of the critical challenges these businesses face. To address this gap, several Ethiopian financial institutions have developed specialized financial products tailored to the unique needs of MSMEs.

We have released a new video highlighting some of those financial products showcasing a commitment of Ethiopia banks, financial service providers, and microfinance institutions on the BIC Ethiopia Website. These videos have something for everyone. 🌟

📺 Watch Now: https://bic-ethiopia.eu/news/f/an-overview-of-financial-products-for-ethiopian-msmes

sequa gGmbH Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (AACCSA) adelphi GrowthAfrica - Growth Frontiers Icehawassa Stiftung Menschen für Menschen - Karlheinz Böhms Äthiopienhilfe

European Union

28/03/2024

We are thrilled to share that the first BIC Finance Masterclass from our loan track took place. The two-week workshop is part of the BIC Ethiopia project, co-funded by the European Delegation to Ethiopia. It was a great and insightful training, tailored to support Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) engaged in the Agri-tech and Agri-business sectors to strengthen their financial management, planning, and controlling, as well as to prepare them to apply for discounted loans through the BIC Ethiopia project. The participants engaged in this workshop were selected from the BIC Ethiopia catalyzer program and we appreciate that the Founders, CEOs, and CFOs joined us for this important training.

The training contained a set of tried-and-tested design-thinking tools developed by the consortium partner adelphi to support the businesses:

• Understand the financer and the loan process
• Identify and align the enterprise funding needs to their growth objective
• Manage enterprise's finances, plan, manage risk, control, and plan their investment
• Develop and refine the enterprise investment proposal and get ready to grow their enterprises

We are delighted to announce the partnerships between BIC Ethiopia, Dashen Bank, and Hibret Bank, our partner banks to jointly offer the discounted loans. We are glad to have you on board as our partner banks and appreciate the presence of your representatives during the training. We look forward to scale loan finance for SMEs in Ethiopia together with you!

sequa gGmbH Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (AACCSA)adelphi GrowthAfrica - Growth Frontiers Icehawassa Stiftung Menschen für Menschen - Karlheinz Böhms Äthiopienhilfe
European Union

23/02/2024

We're thrilled to share a recap of this week's pitch competition for the first-round Seed Matching Grant at the BIC Ethiopia office in Addis Ababa. A huge congratulations to all entrepreneurs who pitched their innovative business ideas.

Eighteen short-listed contestants from the Urban and Regional Catalyzer cohort’s program were invited to a live pitching session for the Seed Matching Grant. The pitching day was intense as various founders and team members of different startups aimed to get grant prizes award.

Well-experienced judges from the BIC Ethiopia, Consortium, and Incubator partners conducted the session. The judges were all listening as they shared their inspiring tales of how their innovations came to be, both to assess the coherence of their pitches and to gain a deeper understanding of them.

The winner will get grant funding totaling €4000 with a matching fund of €2000 to help them grow. It was truly remarkable to see the entrepreneur's energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. We're eager to see where their endeavor will take them in the future, and we're honored to be part of their journey.

Huge thanks to our esteemed jury members!
Here are a few photos recap.

sequa gGmbH Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (AACCSA) adelphi GrowthAfrica - Growth Frontiers Icehawassa Stiftung Menschen für Menschen - Karlheinz Böhms Äthiopienhilfe

European Union