ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia has called for development partners to help African Diaspora create sustainable businesses and achieve economic independence in their home country.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, the Ethiopian Diaspora Service(EDS) Director Ambassador Fitsum Arega urged development partners to collaborate with the African Diaspora, fostering sustainable businesses and economic independence in their homelands.
He specifically cited Germany’s WIDU program as a successful model for this kind of support.
Fitsum explained that GIZ’s WIDU initiative aims to enhance the employment and income potential of micro and small entrepreneurs. The project, implemented by the German government, collaborates with the African Diaspora in Europe to achieve this goal.
All project activities are managed through the online platform www.widu.africa, launched in November 2019. Following successful pilot has expanded to Ethiopia, Kenya, Togo, and Tunisia. Since its inception, the WIDU project has been harnessing the Diaspora’s potential for economic development and job creation.
“Through this collaboration, various joint activities have been implemented to mobilize members of the African Diaspora for the benefit of micro and small businesses in these six countries,” Fitsum stated.
He further noted that WIDU employs an innovative, digitized approach to maximize the impact of remittances from Africans living abroad in a simple, direct, and transparent way. This method helps overcome barriers to financial access and promotes household self-sufficiency through income diversification.
Practically, entrepreneurs can receive financial support from friends and family abroad, with WIDU doubling their contribution through a subsidy of up to 2,500 Euros. In addition to financial aid, Fitsum stated that WIDU entrepreneurs also benefit from professional and individualized coaching.
The WIDU program is open to African Diaspora members residing in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland who wish to support an entrepreneur in one of WIDU’s six partner countries. The initiative directly contributes to creating sustainable businesses and fostering economic independence in their home countries.
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 1 JUNE 2025
