A cooperation agreement has been signed between the Ethiopian Women in Energy association and Jugend Eine Welt to collaborate on the female Incubation project. Under the new agreement, EWiEn and Jugend Eine Welt (JEW) will work together on the implementation of the EWiEn incubation program 2022. The project is part of the “Solar Skills Training and Environmental Education Program” which is co-funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC).

EWiEn has launched the first women-youth, solar energy-based incubator program in Ethiopia (EWiEn incubator). The program is designed to address the energy access gap by empowering women to become change agents in the energy space through promoting innovation and women’s inclusiveness. The pilot program will incubate ten women entrepreneurs to become investor-ready through the development of a business plan and prototype.

In Ethiopia, only 48.3% of the households are privileged to access electricity, and the remaining 51.7% have no access to electricity. Lack of electricity is a severe condition of life that is affecting primarily and disproportionately women and children. Women’s contribution to energy innovation is vital to adopting innovative approaches that reflect the needs of the community to achieve country-wide electric access. While currently, the participation and representation of women in the sector are very minimal. 

The agreement will allow EWiEn and JEW to work together on the pilot incubation project and create a platform for ambitious young women with energy innovative ideas and enable women’s energy start-ups. The EWiEN incubator will provide technical, entrepreneurial skill development, business plan, and prototype development training, coaching, and pitching to investors. The agreement strengthens the collaboration between both entities to address the challenges across.