Irish NGO Vita awards 12 innovative startups

Twelve startups receive awards from the Irish NGO Vita's Innovation Business Idea Competition (IBICA).

The Innovation Business Idea Competition Award (IBICA), as the organization stated, is designed to support young and female-owned businesses by fostering competition and providing seed money and technical support to enable them to successfully implement their creative business ideas and plans. On January 12 and 13, 2023, in Wolayita Sodo and Werabe, respectively, the competition's award ceremony took place in the presence of representatives from the federal government, the local community, donors, the regional government, civil society organizations, and the ENJOY project's implementing partners. 12 businesses were chosen as finalists out of approximately 96 creative and intriguing business ideas that were submitted for the competition, claims the group. The prizes include recognition certificates, access to incubation packages at TVETS' Business Incubation Centers, and cash grants totaling one million ETB. Vita will assist people whose business strategies were sound but unsuccessful in production promotion.

Asfaw Mekuria, Ethiopia Country Director for Vita stated that, “This Innovation and Business Ideas Competition and Award is critically important for helping unemployed youth and women to turn ideas into reality.” “The main objectives of this competition are to identify high-growth potential entrepreneurs capable of boosting economies and creating jobs and promoting entrepreneurship contributing to rural job creation and fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said the organization in its statement. ENJOY is a three-and-half year (2020 – 2023) consortium project that is being implemented in Oromia, SNNP, and Sidama regions to enhance the capacities of the local business service providers to proactively support jobseekers to have better access to information on available job opportunities and job placements implemented by different partners including Vita.

According to the organization, Vita implemented a number of interventions through its ENJOY project to strengthen the capabilities of business service providers so that IDPS, disabled people, and women and youth who are unemployed can launch new businesses or expand existing ones using the enhanced services.

The Vita International Development Charity Organization was established in 1989 in Ireland and obtained Ethiopian legal registration in 2005.