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TITLE OF PROJECT

Technical Assistance for Strengthening the Capacities of the Ministry of Women’s affairs

Country:

Ethiopia

Project Period:

2011-2014

Project Value:

€ 468.800

No of Staff Provided:

1 Key Expert

Origin of Funding:

European Commission, European Development Fund

Name of Client/ Beneficiary:

National Authorising Officer (NAO)

Description of Project:

The project seeks to address two problem areas: (a) the institutional capacity constraints of the Women’s Affairs Structure by improving the institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women and (b) the lack of economic empowerment faced by women by providing entrepreneurship and leadership skills to help lift women out of poverty.

 

The project activities are aligned to the actions foreseen in MoWA's Core & Action Plan for Harmonization and Alignment, which is currently the main strategic document for MoWA. The project can be seen as a concrete contribution to the establishment of an enabling environment for a possible future sector wide approach for which currently the necessary conditions are not mature enough.

 

Under the entrepreneurship component market opportunities and skill gaps in selected regions of the country will be identified in view of better matching services to the specific needs of women and of tailoring the training packages to women’s needs and local market requirements.

 

Specific entrepreneurship/business development skills and vocational training will be then provided to selected groups of women to allow them engage in Income Generating Activities and access employment by engaging in the most profitable sectors of the market. Follow-up assistance and counselling service will be also provided to ensure linkages with the private sector, associations, cooperatives, other existing initiatives and formal networks. As a result women engaged in the informal sector will thereby receive recognition and legal protection and those who are unemployed access to employment in view of improving their general livelihoods.

 

The capacity building component will be carried out nationwide throughout the Women’s Affairs Structure involving MoWA, the Women’s Affairs Departments in line Ministries and Government Agencies at Federal level and BoWA’s at regional and district level. The entrepreneurship component of the project will be piloted in three urban areas (Diredawa, Harar and needy Kebeles of Addis Ababa) and Jijiga representing emerging regions.

 

Services Provided:
  • Strengthening of institutional capacity of the Women's Affairs Structure to better perform its mandate.
  • Assistance in the strengthening overall strategy for capacity building within the Women's Affairs Structure.
  • Enhancing MoWA's, BoWA's and WAD's understanding and competence in the field of gender and development.
  • Increasing skills and competence within the Women's Affairs Structure, in particular at regional and district level, on legal aid and current national and international legal instruments and women's (human) rights.
  • Studies and research conducted to inform MoWA's policy and action.
  • Enhancing income generating skills to increase self-employment opportunities for selected groups of women in pilot areas.
  • Improving MoWA's, BoWA's understanding of women's needs and capacity in the selected pilot areas.
  • Improving MoWA's, BoWA's understanding of market opportunities and skill gaps in the selected pilot areas
  • Improving women's business entrepreneurship and vocational skills
  • Improving linkages with formal networks, associations, cooperatives and the private sector in the selected pilot areas

Name of Partners:
  • ANCE
  • BCAD