T H E M E 1
ESOS AND ENTREPRENEURS NEED TRAINING IN VARIOUS BUSINESS AREAS
If your ESO seeks program support, what type of activities would be most relevant? (% of rating)
ESOs need training on setting up funding programs for entrepreneurs ESOs understand and recognize the need to be well trained to best support entrepreneurs in their communities. They place a high value on key specific expertise. 68% of ESOs said that the most relevant program support is in ‘Managing a fund/providing grant money’. Activities such as “Entrepreneurship program design” and “Marketing and sales”, Product development”, “Design & management of mentorship program”, “Operations”, and “Financial management” are also very relevant. 74% of ESOs need support in ‘Developing fundraising programs’. These needs have been expressed by all ESOs across board, independent of their financial status and type of entrepreneurs they support. This indicates that the depth and intensity of ESOs capacity building should not be compromised to accommodate the different groups of ESOs but instead must be structured in such a way that provides room for all to gain familiarity quickly. We noticed that ‘Developing fundraising program’ is linked to one of the business areas ESOs believe to be critical for entrepre- neurs in their communities, which is “Financial capital”. 66% of ESOs said that “Financial capital” and “Market connections” are the most critical needs for entrepreneurs in their communities. Furthermore, ESOs’ focus group shows that the current challen- ges of incubators and accelerators include low competency in the following: management, marketing & communication, partnerships/relationship building, digital, and, financial sustaina- bility. Incubators and accelerators across the continent are facing bigger challenges to find the right operational model that guarantees “effective start-up support activities”.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
68%
54%
54%
50%
49%
46%
41%
40%
39%
36%
34%
34%
33%
20%
20%
17%
14%
11%
11%
11%
10%
4%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
0%
Entrepreneurship Program Design
Design and management of mentorship program
Product development
Marketing and sales
Operations
Financial Management
Managing a fund/providing grant money
Very Relevant
Relevant
Significant
Not Relevant
What support does your ESO need to better help your entrepreneur community? (% of rating)
80%
74%
73%
73%
68%
70%
62%
62%
59%
60%
50%
42%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Developing better training programs
Connecting with other programs across Africa
Recruiting entrepreneurs
Developing fundraising programs
Connecting with local experts
Connecting with other African entrepreneurs
Connecting with international experts
Connecting with International entrepreneurs
21
N E E D S A S S E S S M E N T R E P O R T
Trends and insights from ESOs, entrepreneurs, and investors
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