News on Incubation

The center has performed different activities associated with incubation. Two main activities have been on the way as part of this endeavor.

The first is helping low income women residents in Bahir Dar by offering working premises in Condominium houses owned by the university. Need assessment survey has been conducted and also training is given for these women. Now they are on the way for starting their business. The business shops are already given for them and they will start to give services soon. 14 Enterprises have been organized in different business sectors. These business enterprises will have so many advantages: the first is; they can change their life through the business they will do. Second, the residents of the condominium houses and the surrounding area will get services in the nearby. Thirdly, EDIC can take these individuals as an experiment for scaling up such services as part of its mission. The center will provide continuous follow up and advisory services to make them successful.

The other effort made by the center for incubating business ideas is “low cost reusable sanitary pad production technical and business training” project being done in collaboration with UNICEF Amhara program. UNICEF has given Singer Sewing Machines and the BDU entrepreneurship development Center and Ethiopian Textile and fashion design technology institute is offering the technical and business training. Moreover, BDU is supplying different inputs for the incubation effort. This pilot project has been started in 4 woredas in Amhara region. The reusable sanitary pad will solve the problems of school girls who start to see menstrual cycle for their menstrual hygiene management. Specially those economically low income school girls will benefit from the project and also reduces the school drop outs because of because of periodical menstrual cycle and lack of awareness about managing this natural gift. So, generation of income by supplying this product and solving the problem of the community is another effort the center is doing as an incubation task.

During Training

The center is also trying to admit 10 ICT incubates in three major areas; software development, website development and networking. A call for applicants is announced for this purpose. This is the major effort to be done this year for creating technology based business enterprises.