The FINANCIAL — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is partnering with Mowgli Mentoring to provide mentoring support to the beneficiaries of the EBRD’s Women in Business (WiB) programme in Tunisia.
The Bank seeks to address market failures and give women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) equal opportunities so that they can deliver in terms of economic performance and growth, job creation and other social gains, thus contributing fully to building free, market-oriented economies and democratic societies.
To address Tunisia’s gender gaps, the EBRD is supporting women through the Programme d’Appui à la Compétitivité des Services (PACS Programme), funded by the European Union. Mentoring is an integral part of the PACS Programme, with the aim of building women’s confidence and capacity to grow their businesses sustainably over the medium to long term. Such support will be available to assist women-led enterprises within four service sectors – tourism and handicrafts; information and communication technologies; transport and logistics; and professional services.
The EBRD’s WiB mentoring programme will complement the other activities under the PACS Programme. It will serve as a catalyst to facilitate networking among participants and build a platform for further development of women’s entrepreneurship.
Based on Mowgli’s syllabus, which is accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, the EBRD’s WiB mentoring programme will train 12 female professionals in the art of personal mentoring. It will match them with 12 mentees from within the PACS Programme, supporting their relationships over a 12-month period, according to the EBRD.
Anis El Fahem, Principal Manager of the EBRD’s Advice for Small Business programme, commented: “Inclusive growth is a strategic goal for the EBRD in Tunisia and therefore we are constantly striving to empower women in business. We are providing tailored advisory services to women-led SMEs, as well as managerial and personal skills development through training and coaching activities. We believe that mentoring is another powerful approach to supporting women in reaching their personal and business goals. We are thrilled about our partnership with Mowgli Mentoring to foster the role of women in economic growth and social development.”
Kathleen Bury, Chief Executive Officer of Mowgli Mentoring, said: “The impact of entrepreneurial mentoring cultivates generations of able business leaders who go beyond shaping economies to also shape communities and societies. In Tunisia, women-led businesses make up less than 10 per cent of the SMEs and through our partnership with the EBRD we hope to build on the great progress they have made to date, strengthen them as entrepreneurs and leaders, and increase this figure to 20 or 30 per cent, which is critical for Tunisia to realise its full economic potential. Mentoring is a key component to human capital development and plays a major role in boosting productivity and the success of entrepreneurs who globally are the key drivers to job creation.”
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