Resilient Business Development Services
- Gender Equality
- Business Innovation Coaching
- Networking
In collaboration with Dutch NGO Cordaid, RBD successfully implemented an RBDS program to support 80 SMEs. Through a six-month scaleup program, participants were provided with various soft skills training, mentorships, networking events, and investment-readiness programs. We provided a custom-made business development program for many leading entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, and support for the same service to be implemented in Afghanistan, Burundi, Guatemala, and Sierra Leone. The main focus of the program was to maximize the productivity/profitability of women-led SMEs in Ethiopia that currently receives little to no assistance support from existing service providers.
Interactive Workshop w/ OXFAM Novib
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Financial Business Models
- Self-reliant NGOs
We designed and conducted an interactive workshop for smaller NGOs in developing countries, on how to set up a social enterprise. Rather than being dependent on donations and subsidies, we instructed them on ways to create a self-sustaining business model.
Digital Innovation Acceleration
- Business acceleration
- Sustainable Impact
- Digital solution
We designed and conducted an interactive workshop for smaller NGOs in developing countries, on how to set up a social enterprise. Rather than being dependent on donations and subsidies, we instructed them on ways to create a self-sustaining business model.
The RISE Programme
- Proof of investment-readiness
- Fundraising Capabilities
- Strategic Consultancy
RISE, or Readying Investable Social Enterprises, is a program funded by British Council Ethiopia. It’s objective: to enable participating enterprises to make measurable progress towards investment readiness. In collaboration with Scottish company Challenges International, we helped 20 African social enterprises create the necessary tools to generate funding. The program was designed to up-skill young entrepreneurs and support sustainable business growth. 20 carefully selected social enterprises received coaching and professional consultancy. 20 young graduates were also trained to be placed there as junior experts.
Optimizing Africa
- Tailor-made Solutions
- ICT Development
- Marketing & Strategic Planning
Optimizing Africa is a joint venture between RBD, R&D, and ORTEC Holding, providing various ICT Solutions to support Ethiopian and other African organizations in utilizing ICT to streamline their product and logistics. This project is about developing and offering custom software solutions adapted to diverse African contexts, as well as offering local hosting solutions. This allows companies to offer Software as a Service (SaaS) significantly cheaper since clients can pay per transaction without the need for expensive hardware. By training local ICT consultants, implementation costs are also decreased significantly.
This venture has led to the creation of new Social Responsibility projects, like employee engagement programs, the appointment of a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Officer and a brand strategy showcasing Ortec’s social development philosophy in 13 countries
ORTEC Data-Analysis Centers
- Research & Analysis
- Social Return on Investment
- SME Acceleration
Aiming to maximize their social impact directly, RBD set up a data-analysis center for software company ORTEC. The initial aim was to create job opportunities for university students to improve their employability in the market. Since its start, the company has succeeded in positioning itself as a center of excellence in increasing the efficiency and business performance of local and international clients. RBD’s Ethiopian daughter company R&D focuses on providing management, operation, and system expertise in the form of personal skills development, offshore outsourcing, SME business acceleration, and organizational consultancy services.
Using the same approach, RBD has helped set up two more analysis centers in Romania and Brazil.