Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 7 September 2022: In a true testament of its rising impact and alignment to the economic aspirations of Ethiopia, the More Young Entrepreneurs in Silk and Honey (MOYESH – moyesh.icipe.org) project was among 50 initiatives that were invited to participate in a high profile, national agriculture and industry products exhibition.  The MOYESH project exhibited honeybee products, including organically certified honey and refined beeswax, which are currently being marketed, with huge demand, in local and international markets, and protective beekeepers attire.

The event was organised jointly by the Ethiopian ministries of Agriculture; Industry; Transport and Logistics; Urban Development and Infrastructure; and Irrigation and Lowlands. His Excellency Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance and the Chief Guest of the exhibition, noted that over the past year, Ethiopia has accelerated growth in production, industrialisation and export, as critical cogs of sustainable development and economic transformation. A range of government policies and initiatives have been implemented, enabling investors and enterprises to run viable businesses that contribute to the economic transformation of the country. Ambitious plans have been designed to capitalise on this growth, for example to enhance the linkages between industry and agriculture.

A partnership between the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works in Ethiopia initiative, and several Ethiopian public and private sector partners, the MOYESH project is a five-year programme (2019 –  2024) being implemented in the Amhara, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities Peoples’ (SNNP) regions of Ethiopia.  It is aligned to ongoing efforts to alleviate youth unemployment or underemployment in Ethiopia, aiming to create dignified and fulfilling jobs and income opportunities for 100,000 unemployed youth (60 percent women) through the honey and silk value chains. Additionally, the MOYESH project will also benefit 14.6 million people along the honey and silk value chains. Currently, the project has achieved 70 percent of its total youth target.

“MOYESH is positioned within icipe’s vision of using science-led strategies to achieve holistic and inclusive socio-economic transformation across Africa. We are employing the Centre’sextensive knowledge and experience in modern beekeeping and sericulture to develop and market innovative high-quality products,” noted Dr Workneh Ayelaw, MOYESH coordinator.

The remarkable progress of MOYESH is the result of an innovative approach that includes strategic and innovative approaches to: recruit partnering youth; enable more women to enter and thrive in beekeeping and sericulture farming; enhance the knowledge and social capital of all partners across the value chains; bolster finance and digital literacy of partnering youth; develop markets, and enhance financial inclusion in the project.

Notes for Editors

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (www.icipe.org) Our mission is to help alleviate poverty, ensure food security, and improve the overall health status of peoples of the tropics, by developing and disseminating management tools and strategies for harmful and useful arthropods, while preserving the natural resource base through research and capacity building.

About Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation seeks a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. Through its Young Africa Works strategy and Canadian EleV program, the Foundation works with partners to ensure that millions of young people, especially young women, access quality education, financial services, and dignified work. Mastercard Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. The Foundation is independent with its own Board of Directors and CEO. For more information and to sign up for the Foundation’s newsletter, please visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org/ Follow the Foundation on Twitter at @MastercardFdn

Funding: The MOYESH project is funded through icipe by the Mastercard Foundation, through its Young Africa Works initiative (https://mastercardfdn.org/research/young-africa-works/). We gratefully acknowledge the financial support for icipe from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Government of the Republic of Kenya. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the donors.