Capacity development needs to be an important part of your organizational strategy for sustainability and integrated development. Besides personnel training, the focus should be on developing an ‘active’ organization where individuals work on establishing and enabling an environment that will bring positive change.

We see capacity building as being an avenue for transformational change. Institutional capacity building uses six technical and functional areas across the three dimensions of where capacities exist: In the enabling environment, in organizations, and individuals.

These six technical and functional areas are: 

1. Technical skills, attitudes, and knowledge,  
2. Operational procedures and systems, 
3. Structural and coordination mechanisms, 
4. Planning and implementation,  
5. Information management and learning, 
6. Technology/materials and equipment needed for achieving the organizational goal.  

The private sector in Ethiopia is still in its infancy. This means that the small business sector has a huge potential to grow and serve a major role as an engine of the economy. However, there are constraints including capacity limitations.

Daystar provides targeted capacity development services to small businesses in partnership with business associations, chambers of commerce, and governmental and non-governmental groups inside and outside of the country.

Our Research and Analytics team regularly conducts studies and publishes data on the critical challenges faced by small businesses. We develop solutions specifically designed to solve your problems using innovative and strategic approaches with these services offered under our social enterprise model.

Financing our services can take several forms depending on the situation. We can use purely third-party financing (donors or government) or individual user-fee in which the business funds the project. Public-private-partnership or third party financed programs that gradually phase out to a user fee-based model is also an approach. Our small business solutions include technology, market, finance, and administrative support. Our strategies include bringing together experts in these fields to develop solutions as well as creating marketing materials to advertise the program.

Our customized small business development training programs can include:  

• Entrepreneurship development 
• Customer Service  
• Marketing Plan Development and Management 
• Financial Management 
• Feasibility Studies 
• Project Appraisal 
• Market Research 
• Product Reengineering 

And more… 

Ethiopia has one of the largest labor-forces in Africa. Despite the large investment in education at primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels, the nation is faced with workforce challenges such as:

• The growth of the workforce being not evenly matched by the growth of the economy.  
• The system not producing the workforce quality that the market requires.  
• Quality and timely labor market information is not available.  
• The country’s median age is estimated to be 18 years old with 70% of the total population under the age of 30.  

Local governments in Ethiopia play a key role in the lives of their communities. The Woredas and Kebeles are the closest units of the state to the people. Over the last few decades, the state (both federal and regional states) and development partners have been investing in strengthening the overall capacity of local governments. Even so, there are capacity gaps that limit the optimal functioning of these units.  

Daystar offers standard and customized solutions to address capacity problems in local government including: 

• Creating forums for regional, national, and international peer learning, 
• Developing a library of best practices, tools, and resources,  
• Elevating the profession of local government management, 
• Advancing representation and professional management principles, 
• Preparing the future leaders of local managers by promoting the discipline. 

Institutional capacity today is still at one of the lowest levels in government. It is the underlying cause of non-functioning governance, widespread public dissatisfaction, and is a threat to national security and stability. Institutions have a strategic role but there is a capacity gap where they can provide a huge positive impact on communities across the country.  

The program we offer would cover: 

• Development planning,  
• Financial and human resource management,  
• Technology,  
• Democratic governance,  

and more.  

Our engagements are geared toward inclusive programming and ensuring that all of them create concrete results including benefits to women, girls, youth, persons with disabilities, and other disadvantaged or minority groups.

The root causes of inequality need to be addressed through these changes to overcome deep-rooted issues such as cultural norms, attitudes or lack of knowledge.

We provide innovative solutions that outpace the NGO Model and bring the private sector’s investment to social goals either through the market itself, or social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility models. We do this by using formative/diagnostic action and research, piloting innovations, and advancing best practices such as:  

• Digital inclusion  
• Off-grid energy sources  
• Innovative property management practices 
• Fintech  
• Value chain approach for agricultural productivity improvement