JN, USAID offer big opportunity to entrepreneurs
"SEBI has received an additional 12-month extension from the USAID to continue to support high-impact social enterprises which are poised to upscale their operations."
THE SOCIAL Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI), a project of the JN Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has issued a call for applications from social enterprises and social entrepreneurs, to participate in its new eight-month Accelerator Programme.
Saffrey Brown, general manager of JN Foundation, said that the project, jointly funded by the JN Foundation and USAID, has moved to another phase in which established entrepreneurs will be targeted to further enhance their social businesses.
“SEBI has received an additional 12-month extension from the USAID to continue to support high-impact social enterprises which are poised to upscale their operations, improve governance and leadership, build business, linkages and partnerships, as well as explore new business opportunities,” Brown said.
“During the next eight months, SEBI will build on the solid foundation of these social enterprises and strengthen the capacity of approximately 12 social enterprises and entrepreneurs across the country to position them to make greater social impact,” she said.
Brown explained that social enterprises or entrepreneurs who have been trading for at least 12 months, have products or services that are already on the market, and are poised to expand may apply.
Interested persons are invited to visit the SEBI website at:
www.sebijm.com where they can complete and submit the application form. The deadline for applications is Monday, February 5, 2018.
For the past five years, SEBI, through the JN Foundation and USAID, has mobilised investment, enterprise development, employment, and revenue, particularly in underserved communities across the country.
SEBI has trained managers and employees to achieve efficiency and growth in their social enterprises by improving their core business competences including management and marketing skills.
To date, some 24 social enterprises have benefited directly from SEBI, either through training or participating in its incubator.