Entrepreneurship Development Institute

Company Description

The Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) is an autonomous, quasi-governmental federal institution operating under the auspices of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Labor and Skills. EDI serves as the national backbone for entrepreneurship and innovation development, delivering integrated programs in capacity building, business development services, access to finance, and market linkages. It is the national host of UNCTAD’s EMPRETEC program and Global Entrepreneurship Week, positioning Ethiopia within global entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Team

EDI operates through a multidisciplinary team of program specialists, ecosystem builders, policy experts, and innovation practitioners with extensive experience in entrepreneurship development, institutional strengthening, and ecosystem design. The Institute combines public-sector mandate with agile delivery, supported by partnerships with international organizations, development finance institutions, and private-sector stakeholders. Governance and implementation are anchored within EDI’s enterprise and programmatic structures, ensuring strategic oversight, accountability, and long-term sustainability.

Countries of Operation

Ethiopia

Ownership of Company

Local Company (Quasi-governmental institution)

Number of years since incorporated

4 Years (institutional mandate; ecosystem operations trace back over a decade)

Stage

Established (mature)

Annual Revenue (in EUR)

EUR 0 – 10,000

Number of employees

101–500

Project Pitch

Chalalaka Entrepreneurship Village (CEV) is a flagship national initiative led by EDI to establish Ethiopia’s first fully integrated entrepreneurship and innovation district in Bishoftu. The project will transform underutilized lakeshore land into a modern, eco-friendly innovation campus hosting EDI’s headquarters, an entrepreneurship academy, incubators, accelerators, maker and digital labs, corporate innovation hubs, and youth-focused spaces.

Designed as an “ecosystem of ecosystems,” CEV brings together talent development, venture creation, finance, research, markets, and policy within a single integrated platform. The Village is expected to incubate and accelerate hundreds of startups annually, generate thousands of jobs, and strengthen Bishoftu’s and Oromia’s knowledge-based economy.

The project follows a 24-month implementation plan and leverages catalytic public contributions—particularly land provision—to unlock blended financing from government, development partners, and private investors. With strong governance, institutional anchoring, and scalable design, CEV is positioned as a national and continental landmark supporting Ethiopia’s ambition to become an entrepreneurial state and nurture its first generation of unicorn companies.

Total Project Cost (in EUR)

EUR 68,153,600

Financing needs (in EUR)

EUR 68,153,600

Type of financing needed

Grant

Planned allocation of fundraising capital

Greenfield (new activity for the institution); Expansion (expanding an existing activity)