Food Security Call Ethiopia

The official launch of Widu.africa Food Security Call Ethiopia (Sep 26 - Nov 30)

(Grant worth = 139.000 ETB plus business coaching) 

WIDU.africa is excited to roll out a Food Security Grant in Ethiopia. The WIDU food security call is a pilot project of WIDU in Ethiopia that aims to support small-scale and micro businesses or business ideas that contribute to safe, nutritious and sustainable food and agricultural production in Ethiopia. In addition to a financial grant, WIDU will provide tailored business management skills to the beneficiaries thereby positively transforming sustainable, innovative, and profitable businesses.

The following six categories are proposed for food security:

1. Farming (for example, vegetable farming, fishery, animal husbandry and dairy farming, poultry farming)

2. Agri-services (for example, feed supplier, Distributor/Retailers of ecological fertilizers, mechanization services, consulting services for new/ innovative plant cultivation methods/ water/ or soil improvement)

3. Food processing (for example, fruit processing to juice, jam, etc., milk processing to cheese, cream, butter, etc. bakery, baltina (Shiro, Berbere….)

4. Nutritional health (for example, healthy and nutritious food providers and restaurants, Consultancies on nutrition and health, websites, platforms, and apps on health and nutrition, catering services for schools, university students, hospitals, displaced communities, and other social institutions)

5. Reduction of food waste (for example, food preservation solutions such as pickling, drying, canning, fermenting, freezing and curing etc., solutions for the transportation of agricultural products from farmers to markets and customers.)

6. IT and data solutions for food security (for example, platforms that provide weather data, platforms for agricultural information, news, policies, farmers market apps and platforms, and digital solutions for early warnings of climate variability and extremes)

Other requirements for the call include: 

• Either persons with existing businesses or concrete business ideas that have already been conceptualized (ideas worked on for 6 months or longer) comes to our platform www.widu.africa to register online.
• Impact on food security and nutrition
• Overall quality of application (completeness, coherence, etc.) 
• Employment creation
• Creation of income
• Degree of innovation

The Food Call Ethiopia is exclusively for businesses in the food and agricultural sector and only for businesses in Ethiopia. This is the only grant type of WIDU that does not involve diaspora members. Any entrepreneur who meets the above criteria is encouraged to apply. 

Duration of Call
September 26 – Nov 30 

How much do applicants get for the Food Security Grant?

The grant amount depends on the amount the entrepreneur is willing to invest in herself/himself. WIDU pays 2.5x the entrepreneur's own investment. Here are the minimum and maximum amounts:

Examples:

1: Minimum amount

The minimum investment from the entrepreneur or business owner has to be: 14.000 ETB 

= WIDU contribution would in this case be 35.000 ETB + Corona top-up of 14.000 ETB

14.000 ETB x 2.5 = 35.000 ETB

Example 2: Maximum amount

Maximum own investment of entrepreneur: 55.500 ETB = WIDU contribution 139.000 ETB + Corona top-up of 14.000 ETB

55.500 ETB x 2.5 = 139.000 ETB
 

Target group: Ethiopians in urban and peri-urban areas working in the agricultural sector, university graduates, or anyone who has businesses and business ideas that fall into one of the six categories previously mentioned. 

About WIDU.africa

WIDU.africa offers other grants to support micro and small enterprises such as the Original WIDU Grant and the Corona Business Grant. WIDU Grants | WIDU Promoting Small Businesses in Africa: With the Original WIDU Grant and Corona Business Grant diaspora members and Ethiopian entrepreneurs jointly apply. The entrepreneur, who needs to be the business owner, will receive the grant amount and the coaching. The diaspora is only a “donor” and the full ownership needs to be with the entrepreneur.

It aims at job creation in Ethiopia and other African countries by redirecting remittances from the African diaspora in Europe into micro and small businesses of relatives or friends in Africa. By providing a matching grant of up to 139.000 ETB and accompanying Ethiopian entrepreneurs with coaching, WIDU wants to support micro and small entrepreneurs to harness and sustain their economic success.

Publishing date: 26 September 2022