First Consult

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗕𝗣𝗖) 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘀𝗮.

FC Africa, in partnership with Prospects ILO, brought together stakeholders to introduce the competition and the support available to entrepreneurs from refugee and host communities.

The 18-month initiative will provide training, business-plan development support, seed financing, and technical assistance to help participants build and grow viable businesses.
The Assosa launch is part of the wider rollout across targeted locations.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency Refugees & Returnees Service - RRS Embassy of the Netherlands in Ethiopia

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Opportunity looks different depending on where you start. A first internship. A first client. A spark becoming a business. A skill becoming a source of income. A job that is more than a paycheck.

Across different contexts, young people take different paths, but the aspirations are remarkably similar: to learn, to earn, to build, and to have a meaningful place in the economy.

This International Youth Day, we celebrate young people as contributors, entrepreneurs, colleagues, and leaders including the young professionals building their careers with us right now.

Through BRIDGES, MESMER, and our own Young Professionals Development Programme, we're working toward a future where opportunity isn't the exception. It's the starting point.

𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮

FC Africa is pleased to contribute to the newly initiated 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗔𝗜 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲, an initiative supporting the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence across Ethiopia’s public sector.

Working alongside government institutions, development partners, academia, and the private sector, the programme will identify high-impact opportunities for AI, develop practical solutions, strengthen institutional capacity, support responsible governance, and foster Ethiopia-UK partnerships for innovation.

With an initial focus on the health and education sectors, EthiopiAI will explore how AI can strengthen public service delivery, improve decision-making, and build the local capabilities and systems needed for sustainable, locally owned adoption.

Responsible AI is not only about technology. It is about working collaboratively, grounding solutions in local realities, and using innovation to create meaningful and lasting public value.

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Inclusion starts with designing for everyone.

Last week, Mastercard Foundation brought together partners and stakeholders for World Refugee Day 2026, turning commitments into real action for refugee inclusion.

The MESMER Programme was there, sharing how it supports refugee and returnee entrepreneurs through business development services and access to finance.

One story stood out: Eyerusalem, a returnee entrepreneur from Bahir Dar. With the right support and financing, she grew her traditional handwoven clothing business into one that now employs 14 people.

A reminder that inclusion takes more than access to finance. It takes the right support, at the right time.

The same questions we ask about AI are the questions we ask across all of our work:

• Access
• Trust
• Skills
• Institutional capacity

These principles shape how FC Africa approaches complex challenges, from design through to implementation.

Explore the full article in The Context: https://lnkd.in/e_sBAZZG

Sometimes the biggest constraint isn't the availability of finance. It's how finance is designed.

The Green Practice Assessment identified access to finance as the strongest barrier to MSMEs adopting green practices, with a score of 88.9%.

Many green investments require significant upfront capital, while returns are often realized over a longer period. Yet financing products frequently rely on collateral requirements, repayment schedules, and lending conditions that do not reflect this investment reality.

As a result, viable green technologies remain out of reach for many enterprises, even when they are available in the market.
Expanding green finance is important. Equally important is ensuring that financial products are designed to match how MSMEs invest, grow, and adopt new technologie

Mastercard Foundation

Green finance is not one-size-fits-all.

Enterprises operating at different stages of a value chain have different investment needs, risk profiles, and repayment capacities.

A producer may need concessional finance with risk-sharing mechanisms to adopt climate-smart inputs. A processor may require blended finance to invest in energy-efficient equipment or water-saving technologies. A distributor may benefit from asset financing for transport and storage, while an exporter may need partial risk guarantees to meet certification, traceability, and sustainability requirements.

The investment changes. The assets change. The risks change. The financing should too.

Designing financial products around how different enterprises operate is what enables green investments to move from intention to implementation.

Read more: https://lnkd.in/e8zAJKVc

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱.

One of the key findings from the MESMER Programme Green Practice Validation Workshop is clear. MSMEs are ready to adopt greener business practices. The challenge is not intent. It is access.

Validation with 370 MSMEs across 7 regions and 13 cities found:
• 59.9% readiness to adopt green business practices
• 32.7% current adoption of green practices
• 61.9% face significant barriers, with access to finance emerging as one of the biggest constraints

The findings reinforce an important lesson. Willingness alone is not enough. Access to finance, business development support, technical guidance, and the right incentives are essential to help MSMEs translate readiness into action.

Building a greener MSME sector requires more than awareness. It requires an enabling ecosystem that supports sustainable business transformation.
These insights will help inform future programme design and strengthen efforts to accelerate the transition to a greener and more resilient MSME sector.

Soil&More Ethiopia Mastercard Foundation

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗧𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘄𝗼𝗰𝗵𝘂" 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

Launched by Awash Bank S.C. in partnership with FC Africa, the competition seeks to identify and support promising entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas and growth potential.

Registration is now underway and will remain open until 7 July 2026 (Hamle 1, 2018 E.C.). Interested applicants can register online through the competition portal or visit their nearest Awash Bank branch for support.

For registration and more information: https://lnkd.in/eb6fh29V