Agreement on the replication in 2014 and 2015 of AFAEMME's successful "Young Women as Job Creators" project

A Global Project Memorandum between the Union for the Mediterranean and the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen (AFAEMME) was signed today at the headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean, in Barcelona. The document was signed following the recent successful implementation of the first phase of the UfM-labelled project, promoted and implemented by AFAEMME and supported by the Norwegian Government, the Spanish private company Gas Natural Fenosa, and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Both sides have strongly committed to ensuring the project’s replication to additional countries and universities in the Euro-Mediterranean region in an effort to further promote women entrepreneurship and contribute to the development of sustainable economies based on private initiative, quality education and gender equality.

The project’s first phase was successfully held between May and November 2013 in Morocco, Palestine, Jordan and Spain. 18 Women Entrepreneurship Days (WEDs), a series of seminars providing participants with specific training and coaching to create new businesses, were held in cooperation with a total of 32 local universities, higher education centres, schools and national businesswomen organisations’ headquarters. The WEDs gathered approximately 800 women and men university students, providing them with free advice on how to create a new business and motivating them to pursue entrepreneurial careers. The WEDs paid particular attention to informing the participants on legal and business basics for setting up a new company and analysed their business creation ideas. Throughout the project’s duration a special focus was made on the role and importance of women as entrepreneurs and job creators in the development of national economies. The participants’ reactions were overwhelmingly positive, stating that the project gave them an opportunity to express and explore their professional aspirations and boosted up their confidence and determination to pursue their entrepreneurial careers.

The second phase of the project, set to take place in 2014, will be held in seven countries, with Egypt, Tunisia and Albania joining the four initial countries from the first phase. The third phase will be held in 2015 and will encompass the seven countries which participated in the project’s first and second phases including the participation of Algeria, Croatia, Lebanon and Turkey. Once the project’s all three phases have been completed in 2015 a total of 11 countries will have participated in it.

You can also read about this issue on page 2 of the January newsletter of the ANIMA Investment Network: Innovation&Entrepreneurs_jan-2014_EN.pdf