HNU - Applied Entrepreneurship Education Programme (Ethiopia) | The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE)

HNU is an international connected business school. It prepares students orientated towards future management tasks and runs different kinds of interdisciplinary projects in several African countries.

Through its Applied Entrepreneurship Education Programme project, HNU focuses on entrepreneurial education with the objective to create job opportunities in Ethiopia.

Collaboration with Arba Minch University in Ethiopia and industry partners such as Phaesun.
Micro entrepreneurs were trained to build and maintain prototypes for diverse kind of businesses such as for productive use of energy.
Business Opportunities with Solar Systems (BOSS) models were developed and constructed in Arba Minch, i.e. a solar-powered barber shop, cafeteria, charging station, ice cream shop, mobile city photography shop, ICT training center for rural areas and rural mobile photograph.

Project funding by the German Federal Ministry of Cooperation and Development and are received from DAAD under the umbrella program “Industry partnerships 2013”.
The program has a financial revolving mechanism. Micro entrepreneurs get materials for building the prototypes and are obligated to pay back all costs including a small extra fee within 2 years to the Arba Minch University, so the university can refinance the program with the repayments.

Creation of jobs with sustainable income for people who were previously jobless.
Rural businesses have also improved the quality of life of the villagers.
The long-term training program has enabled the Arba Minch University to deliver outstanding community services.
Potentially single micro businesses will be scaled up in the form of a production facility and a similar or adapted project version will be implemented in a further University in Ethiopia and potentially South Africa.