Empow'Her - Creation and acceleration of 30 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) - individual startups and existing women's groups/cooperatives

Snapshot Solution

production of soy-based cakes by a start-up company after the support program

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In rural and agricultural areas of Burkina Faso, women are in a very precarious situation, as their access to rural land is limited. Low levels of education and training, household management and problems of balance and understanding within the household can all be constraints on women's efforts to achieve economic empowerment. Faced with these facts, the project decided to provide " creation/ideation and acceleration " services for 30 MSMEs. The aim of the project is to strengthen the economic fabric of the 30 women's MSMEs operating in the fields of agri-food processing and marketing, by equipping them with appropriate materials to boost their businesses.

Last update: 12 Dec 2023

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Context

Challenges addressed

Extreme heat

Shift of seasons

Conflicting uses / cumulative impacts

Inefficient management of financial resources

Lack of access to long-term funding

Lack of alternative income opportunities

Changes in socio-cultural context

Lack of technical capacity

Lack of food security

Unemployment / poverty

Scale of implementation

Local

Ecosystems

Cropland

Theme

Access and benefit sharing

Restoration

Sustainable financing

Gender mainstreaming

Food security

Sustainable livelihoods

Local actors

Outreach & communications

Agriculture

Waste management

Location

Bobo-Dioulasso, Houet, Burkina Faso

Sissili, Burkina Faso

West and Central Africa

Impacts

The approaches used by the project are bootcamp organization, networking and mentoring. Through the organization of bootcamps, the project has helped to build the capacities of beneficiaries, while networking and mentoring have helped to consolidate what has been learned through peer-to-peer experience sharing and individual coaching by mentors.

Of the 35 start-ups, 16 women (including 10 in Bobo and 6 in Léo) are involved in income-generating activities (IGAs) in the processing and marketing of soybeans and local produce in the form of juice, cookies, yoghurt, brochettes, flour and couscous;
Only one MSME created in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso;
17 women in Bobo and 17 women in Léo benefited from individual coaching to finalize their projects and get their businesses up and running.