Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Over 300 youth, government representatives, entrepreneurs, key partners, and stakeholders in the apical and therapeutic value chain gathered in Addis Ababa are aware of the transformational impact of younger entrepreneurs amongst the Moyesh programmes between honey (Moyesh and centers and of Insectogogology) and recognize the Moyesh and ec of Insectogy and of Insectogy programmes. Foundation.
The Youth Summit catalyzed the insights, milestones and lessons learned from the Moyesh program under the theme of “Utilizing Apicture, Aging, and Related Value Chains for Youth Employment.” We featured keynote speeches from the Ministry of Agriculture, MasterCard Foundation, and ICIPE. A panel led by a young entrepreneur. Discussions on market systems, finance and policy. And an exhibition introducing innovations in the honey and silk value chain.
The event also marked the culmination of the Moyesh programme, launched in October 2019, to enable Ethiopian youth to access dignified and fulfilling work in the honey and silk value chain. The five-year programme ran in seven regions, 22 zones and 88 districts. 245,071 young people, 61.4% were young women, accessing dignified and fulfilling work, and founding 13,063 bees and silk companies. In total, 6,043 tons of honey, 603 tons of beeswax and 89.2 tons of silk coco were produced, producing over $62.08 million. At the individual level, by the end of the program, participants’ estimated average income per person increased from $145 to $344.
For young women like Tigist Tesfahun, participation in the program was life-changing.
“Before we joined the company, our lives revolved around home tasks such as cooking, leaking water from long distances and caring for children and livestock, which were not economically treasured. Tigist.
Historically, Ethiopian beekeeping has been considered a male occupation, with women being excluded. The program sought to break the barriers created by traditional cultural awareness by tuning beekeeping techniques through women-friendly apiary designs that encourage female beekeepers. Young women were able to choose the most useful sites in Appiari, for example in their backyard. Additionally, childcare facilities were introduced for breastfeeding mothers during training and group work sessions. This helps young female participants devote quality time to their training and provide peace of mind that their children are being cared for nearby areas.
“Before this training, I have a small child to look at my home, so no one invited me to attend training or meetings in Quebele. Others usually skip me at such events. Thanks to the Moish program, I am taking part in training sessions with my kids.
The prominent success of this programme is the interactions created with key stakeholders, including governments at various levels, from national to district. One example is the Ethiopian government agency commits to allocate land to youth businesses for beekeeping and aging. Over 7,900 hectares of degraded and vulnerable land have been rehabilitated by promoting multipurpose bee trees and vegetables. Additionally, the central government has designated selected corridors for aquaculture clusters.
The Moyesh programme has embraced the private sector as a key partner in farming transformation in Ethiopia, providing access to inputs such as frame beehives, protective clothing, hive accessories and easily available market outlets, helping to keep products in mind and maintain quality throughout the process.
“Today, we are proud to witness the impact of the Moish Program. Looking ahead, we are thinking about how to expand this impact to reach more young people in Ethiopia and beyond, and how to transform apiculture and aquaculture into an even stronger engine of inclusive economic growth.”
Leveraging a successful model based on the outcomes of the Moyesh program, Apiculture (Mayea) mass employment was launched in November 2023 in collaboration with ICIPE, the International Rural Reconstruction Institute (IIRR), Amara’s Rehabilitation Development Agency (ORDA), Ethiopia, and the Mastercard Foundation. This five-year scale-up program is designed to enable around 1 million young people (80% women) to work in the beekeeping industry and other agricultural value chains, supporting system-level changes and enabling dignified and fulfilling job opportunities.
“Through the Moyesh program, we have achieved collectively far beyond enabling young people to find job opportunities. Beekeeping and farming is now recognized as having great potential for rural transformation, and by exporting high-quality products, these value chains could create opportunities for many young people to acquire foundations.
About the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)
International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE): Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with a country office in Ethiopia, it is the only research institute that primarily addresses insects and other arthropods. The Center conducts world-class science and transforms this knowledge into innovating green, affordable, accessible and easy-to-use solutions to tackle crop pest and disease vectors. The role of ICIPE extends to conservation and sustainable exploitation of beneficial insect biodiversity. For more information about ICIPE, please visit https://www.icipe.org/.
About MasterCard Foundation
The MasterCard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world. Working with visionary organizations, we promote education and financial inclusion, ensuring that Canadian youth and Indigenous youths in Canada have access to dignified and fulfilling work. Founded through Mastercard’s generosity when it became a public company in 2006, the foundation is a separate and independent organization from the company with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar and Addis Ababa. Its policy, operations and program decisions are determined by the Foundation’s board and leadership. For more information about the Foundation, please visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org/.
International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)
Name: Moyesh Program Coordinator, Workneh Ayalew
Phone: +252 922828889
Email: Wayalew@icipe.org.
MasterCard Foundation
Name: simret yasabu
Email: syasabu@mastrcardfdn.org
