K unjina Tesfaye, 22, is a graduate from Addis Ababa University’s School of Architecture. She is also a beginner fashion designer. While attending the School of Architecture, she had not given up her dream of becoming a designer. Side by side, she has been busy with her design work. “Generally, what makes me happy is creative design art. Now, though I have no shop, I have been exporting a few products. Things are going well. Designers, especially beginners should work hard every time. They should be ready to ask.”
She also tells The Ethiopian Herald that she has many dreams in the fashion industry. “I have many dreams. The first is I need Africa to wear herself. Without importing cloths, Africa should stand by her own foot and produce costumes of various kind,” says Kunjina, whom this writer met during mindset program held in Addis Ababa.
Mindset platforms have become important in the capital as they bring about the advantage to share the experience of people with highlevel thinking. This is big support for the young generation who are striving to engage in some sort of entrepreneurship to take lessons from others. One can simply hit the level of achievements within a short period of time.
Mindset programs are imperative to motivate and initiate creativity in the youth and enable them to be acquainted with successful entrepreneurs. Looking at the struggles they have passed through, the new generation gets a lesson out of the challenges they have faced.
Eldana Wolde is living and working in Frankfurt Germany. During her stay in Ethiopia, She also attended such programs. He said she offers training for Ethiopians residing in Germany on coffee preparation so that they create their own job by opening a new coffee cart. “The difficult thing in Germany is learning the language. So, I teach them the language and how they can integrate to German Setting up entrepreneurial mindset society within a short period of time.
“It is difficult to help others while you yourself are facing similar problems. But the degree differs,” she says. “First, I went to Germany for the sake of education. But then I found it difficult to find a job. Thus, I started to research the coffee business, preparation, roasting, and the likes. So I ask myself do I have to search for jobs after completing my education.”
It was at the time that her friend convinced her to attend mindset programs. “I started to attend X-hub mindset. I have won a scholarship of KFW bank and joined social impact hub in Frankfurt. Then, I was able to develop my own business model. I also won another competition to earn money- I got a KFW social impact award. So by the seed money I earned, I started my own business.”
She advises the youth that what matters the most is not collecting certificates, but what ones do with the knowledge. And I feel like such hubs and mindset programs would give the youth the opportunity to develop an entrepreneurial mindset to utilize their knowledge and skills to something meaningful.
Yet making money is not the end deal, the youth should opt to engage in something that has value, she said. “The business has to be sustainable. It has to continue even after we die. We have to think of the long term impact.”
Founder of xHub and Center for African Leadership Studies (CALS), Tewodros Tadesse said mindset programs are what wouldbe entrepreneurs need to transform their ideas into practice.
“Once a month we listen to motivational speeches. Government officials also tell us the problems their offices facing so that young entrepreneurs come up with an idea to solve them,” he said. “The youth have to know the problems their country is facing.”
Social entrepreneurship business incubation center that aims to promote young entrepreneurs’ socioeconomic development through regular training, coaching, mentoring and free collaborative and innovative co-working space. With such an environment, Ethiopian entrepreneurs would have the chance to establish their own problemsolving companies. Such initiatives could also go in line with the government’s strategy to small and micro enterprises.
The Ethiopian Herald March 7, 2019
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
