The overall objective of this program is to encourage the Ghanaian and Ethiopian diasporas residing in the Netherlands, or Dutch entrepreneurs in partnership with the diaspora, to engage as entrepreneurs for the development of the private sector in Ghana and Ethiopia.
20 selected potential entrepreneurs per country will have the opportunity to enroll in training sessions offered by IOM/PUM and to benefit from individual mentoring offered by PUM volunteers.
A final 10 candidates per country will have the opportunity to go on an exploring visit to Ghana/Ethiopia and some candidates will be able to integrate existing incubators. Individual advice will also be offered as to possible financial opportunities.
Each candidate should fill in the attached application form and upload it through the website before the 30th April 2019. A confirmation email acknowledging receipt will be sent automatically. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Eligibility
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Candidates must be at least 18 years old.
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Candidates must be Dutch residents or Dutch nationals, who are members of the Ghanaian or Ethiopian diaspora or joining hands with the Ghanaian and Ethiopian diaspora.
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Candidates may apply to start-up a business or scale-up a business, based on the following criteria: – Start-up businesses: Business ideas, concepts and/or prototypes at the very initial stages of development (1-12 months – Scale-up businesses: Established businesses must have been at least one year in operation (12 months+).
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All applications must only be submitted using the attached form. No other formats or attachments will be accepted
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Only applications with completed mandatory parts (part 1 and part 3) will be considered.
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Women and young entrepreneurs are encouraged to submit business ideas.
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Applicants must disclose funding already received at the time of applying or tangible evidence indicating any potential funding opportunity in the near future.
Selection criteria
1. The following criteria will be used to select the applicants invited to the interview.
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Customer needs to be clearly identified: NEEDS
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Business model: APPROACH
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Differentiators identified: DIFFERENTIATION
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Initial market identified, and sufficiently large and growing: COMPETITION
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Start-up capital and strategy identified: FINANCIALS
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The applicant demonstrates a clear vision and goal for the future: SKILLS
2. The following elements, albeit not compulsory, will be evaluated too:
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The ideas, concepts and/or business proposals fit within the growth sectors and opportunities as identified by GIPC or EIC and i-guide or other sources.
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The proposal is innovative and/or environmentally friendly and supports the achievements of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
