Innovative Grants Fund (IGF) award workshop

Initiative Africa successfully conducted a workshop today for the Innovative Grants Fund (IGF) which is one of the components of the Empowering Marginal Economic Actors through Policy Reform from the Bottom-Up project that is supported by the Swedish Embassy in Addis Ababa.

Through this project Initiative Africa aims to support Business Membership Organizations[BMOs] and Chambers of Commerce through the Innovative Grants Fund (IGF); build the capacity of Business Membership Organizations[BMOs] and Chambers of Commerce to promote Trade and the Private Sector and also assist Business Membership Organizations[BMOs] and Chambers of Commerce in organizing regional level Public Private Dialogues.

IA had announced the call for proposals for the first-round application of the IGF on June 10th, 2020 with the deadline on the 31st of July 2020, and had received 57 proposals from organizations with varying sizes, types, and geographical locations. Today, at Harmony Hotel, Initiative Africa has announced that it reached at the stage of signing contracts with 32 applicants to be beneficiaries of this round of the Innovative Grants Fund (IGF).

Some of the major issues to be addressed with the 32 signed projects will be

• Mitigating the effects of COVID 19 on chambers of commerce and business membership associations and prepare as the crisis recede to support economic activity that is coherent with a green and just transition and leaving no one behind.
• Strengthen chambers of commerce and business membership associations’ engagement to influence the policy-making process and enhance the role of women in business leadership.
• Strengthen chambers of commerce and business membership associations to improve services to provide value to existing and potential members.
• Support chambers of commerce and business membership associations create a stronger business information services to improve trade, employment, economic development, and quality of life.

More than 40 people representing different Business Associations joined the workshop today. Participants from the workshop included different local, regional, and national Business Membership Organizations [BMOs], Chambers of Commerce, Women Entrepreneurship Associations, and representatives from consortium partners Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI) AND Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE).