In March 2020, the ten finalists for both Ghana and Ethiopia have been selected by a jury, composed of IOM, PUM, Zidicircle and the Ethiopian Embassy (for Ethiopia). The choice of these finalists was based on the review of their business plans, the feedback from the mentors and the participation of the entrepreneurs during the training.
All participants have put significant efforts in their business plans and the selection was difficult. Those who have not made it to the final ten are still encouraged to pursue their plans and those who have made it to the final stage will be able to join a go-and-see mission to Ghana or Ethiopia.
The go-and-see-missions were foreseen in March/April and needed to be cancelled due to COVID-19. They will hopefully take place in September or October 2020. The programme is all set and has been prepared by the IOM Offices in Ghana and Ethiopia. It can be narrowed down to five pillars:
- Business registration and formalities (PRACTICAL)
- Existing institutional support policies or schemes (INSTITUTIONAL)
- The existing financial ecosystem for diaspora entrepreneurs/SMEs (FINANCIAL)
- Opportunities to further mature the business/idea locally in incubators/accelerators (CREATIVE)
- Diaspora entrepreneurs as role models (INSPIRATIONAL)
