Well sown is half harvested. This old farming wisdom still holds true around the world today. That’s why AHA, on behalf of GIZ, initiated the SEC project (“Strengthening Entrepreneurship Competences”). The clear objective: farmers’ organizations from the Amhara and Oromia regions (Ethiopia) should learn to operate modern seed cleaning machines and use them successfully in business.
What began as a training program for cleaning technology quickly developed into an impressive demonstration of entrepreneurial thinking. After months of hard work, the five participating organizations presented the fruits of their efforts in the capital, Addis Ababa. “What we experienced was a real transformation”. The participants not only developed new skills and methods, but above all an entrepreneurial mindset, the project team reported. This change was particularly evident at the two-day closing workshop.
On the first day of the final event, participants worked late into the night. Final details of their business plans were polished, the motivation was tangible: this wasn’t about homework, but about their own economic future. The second day brought the real test: the groups confidently presented their concepts to critical experts from the banking sector, international NGOs, and GIZ. They competently answered questions about financing, market positioning, and risk management – clear proof of the professionalization achieved.
Particularly remarkable: the participants’ high level of personal responsibility. They voluntarily refined translations and wording to ensure that the business plans truly reflected their vision. This “ownership” is the key to sustainable success – far beyond the project duration.
With strengthened self-confidence and five solid business plans in hand, the organizations are now starting practical implementation. The coming season will show how the acquired entrepreneurial and technical competencies bear fruit in practice.
The SEC project impressively demonstrates: where training takes place on equal footing and local expertise is taken seriously, an entrepreneurial attitude emerges that goes far beyond technical know-how. Through partnership-based exchange between international and local trainers, farmers can become confident entrepreneurs. Change that begins in the mind has a stronger effect than mere knowledge transfer.
The SEC project was conducted by the Andreas Hermes Akademie from October 2024 to September 2025 as part of the GIZ program “Green Innovation Centres in the Agriculture and Food Sector” and supported four Ethiopian farmers’ organizations and an agricultural research center in developing sustainable business models for mobile seed cleaning machines.
