Business Idea Competitions in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States

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Project Summary

Project/Activity Title: Community-managed Micro-credit Services

Target Group: Women, Young people, Other

Sector: Informal/Semi-Formal Financial intermediaries, Business support services and institutions

Date: January 2011 - February 2013

Budget: 135,000 SDG

Where the money goes:

Project/Activity brief and purpose: This project builds on an earlier partnership ‘musharaka’ agreement between SUDIA and the Social Savings and Development Bank (SSDB) in Sudan. The project will contribute to poverty reduction and improve self-employment opportunities amongst displaced and low-income families in the suburbs of Khartoum State and North Kordofan State by providing access to credit on the basis of Islamic lending practices. The project will also serve to strengthen the ‘sense of community’ and build community capacities through the establishment of six (6) community-managed credit committee’s (CMC’s). Loans funds of SDG 35,000 (approx. USD 13,000) from SUDIA own capital are being matched with SDG 100,000 (approx. USD37,000) from the SSDB, to serve as the loan capital fund from which 1000 beneficiaries will benefit over the course of two years.

Key activities: Identification and selection of partner CBOs/NGOs and areas to be targeted in both North Kordofan and Khartoum states respectively; Formation and training of community loan committees in villages/localities; setting up loan capital funds for each loan committee; providing loans on a revolving basis to clients and beneficiaries; follow-up on repayments and provision of support to loan committees; monitor performance of individual loan committees/funds and the overall performance of the portfolio; provide refresher trainings to loan committees; promote linkages with other development projects and activities in areas where activities are being implemented.

Client/Donor: MTN

Partners: Social Savings and Development Bank (SSDB)

Location: Khartoum: Kharṭoum, Khartoum: Khartoum Baḥri, Khartoum: Umdurman, North Kordofan: Elobied, North Kordofan: Shiekan

Ref: 11_01.SSDB.30.01

BUSINESS ideas competition to boost self-employment opportunities amongst youth - Monday, October 17, 2011

SUDIA will be providing the UNDP-Sudan with professional services to conduct “Business Idea Competitions” in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.

Business Idea Competition roll-out complete – Entrepreneurs now in the making
Friday, December 23, 2011

The Business Idea Competition (BIC) has been successfully launched. The SUDIA team met with the partners in El Obeid, North Kordofan, from the 10^th to the 13^th of December 2011. The project was well received and appreciated by all stakeholders.

In brief, the BIC is a UNDP-funded project where youth compete for assistance in setting up their own business. The twenty most innovative, yet realistic, ideas are granted the amount of money their proposed businesses will cost to establish.

The launching, which took place on December 22^nd, was attended by SUDIA and the UNDP, along with representatives from the Youth Higher Council, State Radio and TV, the Humanitarian aid Commission (HAC), the Business Men Union, and the National Federation of Sudanese Youth, the Director of the Bank of Khartoum, the Director of the Arab Seed Company, several graduates and young entrepreneurs, and youth- and civil society organisations.

The day of the launching was opened by an initiation ceremony, where various speakers shared their excitement about the start-up of the competition this day marked. Second was an orientation session addressing the participants, where the procedures for participating in the competition were explained in detail. The youth were then allowed to ask questions and their families were encouraged to be helpful and supportive in the 4 weeks long process of developing a feasible business idea.

The winners will be announced in January 2012.

Business Idea Competitions (BIC) Project now starting up
Monday, October 24, 2011

An inception meeting was held with UNDP programme officers to discuss the start-up of the Business Ideas Competition (BIC) at SUDIA offices on October 11th. The meeting discussed the situation in the target areas and the overall implementation of the Competition. Due to the on-going conflict in S. Kordofan and Blue Nile State, implementation of the BIC at this early stage might only be possible in North Kordofan. SUDIA and UNDP will be monitoring the security situation closely and if possible implementing the BIC in all three targeted states. Meanwhile SUDIA will be developing a document detailing the guidelines for holding the BIC. UNDP and SUDIA will also be exploring the possibility of leveraging additional support for the BIC from other actors from the Private Sector so as to avail a wider pool of funds for the winning ideas and to maximize the number of youth who will gain access to self-employment through the business start-up awards.