7 Octobre 2015. À l’occasion de ses quinze ans d’existence, l’asbl Entrepreneurs pour Entrepreneurs a organisé un séminaire sur la responsabilité sociétale des entreprises et la coopération au développement.
L'hôte était Thomas Leysen, président du conseil d'administration de la KBC. Alexander De Croo, le vice-Premier ministre et ministre du Développement a expliqué la vision belge sur le sujet. Bogdan Vanden Berghe, directeur général de 11.11.11 a expliqué le rôle joué par les ONG dans le développement moderne.
Débats interactifs et film
La Responsabilité sociétale des entreprises appliquée et solidarité internationale.
Paul -Verstraeten (KVIV), Dirk Perquy (Terre Bleue), Valérie Swaen (UCL), Bogdan Vanden Berghe (11.11.11), Peter Wollaert (UNITAR – CIFAL Flanders) et Roland Waeyaert (Exchange). Modérateur Frieda Van Wijck.
Responsabilité sociétale des entreprises dans/avec les pays du Sud.
Luc Bonte (Entrepreneurs pour Entrepreneurs), Rik Herbots (SOFOCO), François Maes (Special Fruit), Werner Sels (les Entrepreneurs Sans Frontières) et Barbara Toorens (WorldLoop). Modérateur Véronique Goossens
Reference:
7 October 2015. Kloof tussen ontwikkelingssector en bedrijfswereld versmalt
Related:
BiD Network aims to increase economic development in emerging markets through the mobilization of capital and knowledge to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By offering customized matchmaking and support services to both financiers and entrepreneurs we aim to grow the number of businesses that can start, grow and expand. Through our international network of local business centers, global business plan competitions and the use of an online entrepreneurial platform we locate businesses with a financing need of USD 10,000 to USD 500,000. BiD Network has experience in supporting entrepreneurs across multiple sectors, including clean energy, water and food and agriculture.
8 - 13 November 2015: BiD Network is organizing a week long trip to Rwanda. This trip is intended to close the geographic gap between entrepreneurs and angel investors. Investors will be able to get a first hand experience in what it’s like to do business in Rwanda and East Africa. Examples:
Shekina Rwanda produces dried food products and is a pioneer in producing dried cassava leaves, through using its own patented drying technology. Shekina is currently making large strides at integrating the entire value chain of cassava farming, processing, packaging and exporting in Rwanda. This process will be completed within the next six months and then the company is looking to replicate this model into different sectors and countries in the region. In order to support that, a large capital raise will be done. On the short term however the company is looking for 100,000 USD in order to support its roll out of a new innovative product, called instant cassava leaves. Market demand has already been established and this capital will support the production of the product and roll out at a faster pace. Shekina currently exports their products to the United States, Canada and Europe. The raw products from Shekina come from Female co-operatives. Damiem is looking into helping these women to become their own businesses.
Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE). As 18% of the women in Rwanda miss out on over 50 days of school or work due to a lack of menstrual pads, SHE decided it was time for a change. SHE is a social for-profit entity in Rwanda that produces affordable menstrual pads while at the same time providing health education and advocacy for girls and women. Elisabeth Sharp and her team use a US patented production process to transform fibres from banana trees into the “fluff” needed for menstrual pads. SHE already has two commitments that will purchase their products in bulk; one of which is the UNHCR asking more than 6,000 packs per month. To accomplish this, Elisabeth Sharp and her team would need to increase production which currently stands at 3,000 pads per month. To meet the demand, SHE needs to purchase more machines to create an extra 150 pads per day per machine. This SME was based on a research project funded by Canada: Banana Tree Fibre Female Hygienic Pads in Rwanda. (Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, Queen's University, Canada)
As the first commercial potato chip company of Rwanda, Hollanda FairFoods produces
Rwandan-grown Irish potatoes to sell as potato crisps on the Rwandan cradle-to-cradle packaging domestic market. These healthy crisps will be exported to the East African regional and global markets in the long term. The startup funds are treated purely as start-up expenses and initial working capital.
Essex is a start-up company in Rwanda that has developed an agriculture embedded system at an affordable costs for small holder farmers, both individuals and cooperatives. Essex’s mission is to create a local chicken industry. Basazababo and his team have created a service product which enables farmers to receive updates on their egg incubator via their mobile phones. Essex recently developed an egg incubator prototype for the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources to prove that the concept would provide positive results. Essex is enthusiastic that this positive test will entice the ministry of Agriculture to provide an endorsement for the company. Essex believes that its primary focus group will be village cooperatives. They will focus on this target market by allowing them to start a poultry farm at affordable costs. To achieve this, Essex will provide these local village cooperatives with a starter kit, called “Poultry Farmers’ Kit”, which enables them to engage in the poultry business. Through this kit, poultry products will be more available within the Rwandan market.
Alpha Foods from Rwanda produces fruit juices, jams and tomato ketchups. Their products are natural and unique and do not contain any artificial food colours and flavours. Finance is needed for purchasing machines to scale up production and to expand their office.
Related: Un film source d’inspiration : “Théâtre Source” (film belge de Koen Van den Bril)