Entrepreneurship is a widely used tool for economic development and growth. Governments from around the world have included it on their agendas, and startup incubators have become widely spread worldwide. The need for combining the social and environmental agendas to the business world is also gaining a lot of traction, especially in the context of the post-COVID-19 recovery, and Guinea-Bissau is not any different. The country is also moving forward on this path towards an inclusive and sustainable development.

Unfortunately, lack of education and formal trainings continue to constitute severe barriers for economic development and inclusive growth and are the highest contributors to youth unemployment and migration.

Recognizing social entrepreneurship training as a powerful tool to combat unemployment and encourage youth’s quality participation in the labor market, UNDP in Guinea-Bissau has jointly launched with the MAVA Foundation and Impact Hub “Guinea-Bissau Empreende”, a tailored programme for youth changemakers to support the development of an impact entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country.

The programme was presented in Bissau in December 2020. Its objective is to support the local entrepreneurs to lead an impact entrepreneurship center in Guinea-Bissau, with a strong focus on solutions for environmental conservation, green economy, and social development.

In this context, a call has recently been launched to recruit a group of entrepreneurial individuals who are interested and striving to manage and support a center for sustainable entrepreneurship and social impact in the country. The expression of interest and registration process is open until 28 February 2021.

Upon the closure of the registration period, pre-selected participants will be invited to participate in four workshops to take place in March. The trainings will aim to present the basic principles of management and creation of entrepreneurship support centers. This center will have the primary function of providing support services for local entrepreneurs in Guinea-Bissau. In other words, the selected team of entrepreneurs will be responsible for creating and managing a collaborative space to support Bissau-Guinean entrepreneurs.

“Guinea-Bissau Empreende” is an initiative developed in the framework of the Leadership Academy, a new flagship initiative by UNDP, which aims to identify agents of change and deliver tailored trainings to equip them with tools and skills to lead a transformational shift. The Leadership Academy will support "Guinea-Bissau Empreende" by hosting the training sessions and contributing to build the required enabling ecosystem for social entrepreneurship in Guinea-Bissau.