Panel Discussion with different Stakeholders

Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia face numerous challenges when starting and growing their businesses. Access to finance remains a major obstacle due to limited collateral, high interest rates, and weak venture capital systems. Besides this, lack of using practical based policies, luck of attention on the application of cluster system, youth mind setup problem, rigidity of government rule and regulations, lack of work promises access and our country teaching policy problem meaning that empowering to employee rather than entrepreneur. Many entrepreneurs also struggle with limited market access, dependence on imported inputs, and insufficient business and management skills. Additionally, socio-cultural barriers like fear of failure and preference for formal employment hinder entrepreneurial motivation. Weak support systems, minimal mentorship opportunities, and macroeconomic instability, including inflation and currency fluctuations, further constrain business growth and sustainability. Ethiopia offers vast opportunities for young entrepreneurs across key sectors such as agriculture, textiles, ICT, and manufacturing. In agriculture, youth can engage in value-added agribusinesses like food processing, organic farming, and agro-logistics. The textile sector presents potential in garment production, fashion design, and eco-friendly fabric manufacturing, supported by the country’s rich cotton resources and industrial parks. The growing ICT sector provides openings in software development, digital marketing, fintech, and e-commerce, boosted by initiatives like Digital Ethiopia 2025. Likewise, the manufacturing industry offers prospects in food processing, leather products, and small-scale industrial production through industrial park incentives. To combined all the above sectors give PEEB training for higher civil servants, promote collaborative work through main stakeholders, employ experts in all respective offices, focus the higher educations on innovation hubs, encourage youths that have innovative business ideas, and give entrepreneurship training for all teachers