OUR INITIATIVES
INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
PROMOTION PROGRAMS
The WJ Mudolo Foundation holds strong faith in the untapped potential shrouded in Africa's youthful and ambitious population, which requires proper distillation through appropriate nurturing and guidance uncovering the innovative and entrepreneurial acumen of the African brains. The Foundation aims to develop and make entrepreneurial culture prevalent and mainstream in the African countries, and empower brilliant innovators and entrepreneurs through provision of smart resource allocation strategies, capacity development schemes, workshops for skills and leadership development, seed financing, cheap and subsidized loans for startups, mentoring and corporate networking initiatives, research facilities, incubation centers, exposure to other businesses and exhibition projects.
WJ Mudolo Informal Sector Industrial Works (MISIW) Program
The MISIW program aims to attend to the financial and technical needs of organizations, governmental or otherwise, occupied with projects to support the informal industrial sector in Africa, comprising mainly of micro-businesses and small-scale or cottage units, engaged in industrial production or artisan crafting. The final goal for rendering such support being allowance of sustainable business activity for small-scale concerns in order to improve household incomes of families and raise living standards within communities. Strategies undertaken by organizations enabling the use and utilization of community markets, industrial equipment and tools, industrial sheds, grant of subsidized small loans, solid waste treatment and management programs, financing of startup ideas and sponsoring prototypes of potentially successful products, and awareness programs to empower people settled in economically disadvantaged areas in Africa.
WJ Mudolo Sciences Exhibition (MSE) Program
Scientific, Technological and Engineering research and education, along with fostering ingenuity and problem solving also tends to advance mechanization and industrialization in regions. The MSE program, being a STEM education promotion program, works with the purpose to invoke curiosity and the willingness to discover scientific perspectives, and incline attitudes amongst youngsters towards sciences by through education and coaching in secondary schools, technical institutes as well as trainings in the corporate sector. The program involves conducting, or indirectly assisting organizations, who run exhibitions and events to enable aspiring people to showcase their scientific, technological and innovative savvy, by sponsoring them in administration of such events. In order to secure the Foundation's support, the exhibitions must be held in any of the participating countries within the African continent, and must be themed to display participants' skills in the fields of robotics, scientific prototypes, general inventions and products having technical novelty, innovations and documented researches and presentations.
WJ Mudolo Technical & Vocational Institutions Development (MTVID) Program
The Foundation, in its schemes and struggles to see a strong, skilled workforce as an integral element in Africa's development, further aims to provide all possible support to regional governments in their endeavors to develop sustainable and quality technical and vocational training centers/institutes for the local population. The MTVID program is likely to revamp the entrepreneurial trends and statistics further transforming African countries into secondary-sector based economies having industrialized centers of mass-scale production.
WJ Mudolo Innovations, Entrepreneurships and Research Facilitation (MIERF) Program
The MIERF program supports novel business concepts, with the aim to turn them into prosperous profit-making units. Backing is provided to ideas at each and every stage, from their outset to chalking-out and collecting seed financing to join onto the path towards business development and eventual success. Supporting premature businesses ensures survival of ideas with high chances of success. The program specifically supports innovators and entrepreneurs who may participate with aspiration to change the socio-economic patterns of their communities with the help of their ideas. The Foundation also holds a number of people including entrepreneurs, startup specialists, incubation centers, established businesses and social growth clubs as its panelists to consult for seeking assistance in research and developmental processes for and on behalf of MIERF participants. Our support to premature business ideas & concepts include sharing of knowledge and expertise extended by our delivery partners with certain MIERF participants in the form of leadership and skills workshops helping startups in the practical spaces, delivering talks and idea-specific mentoring to MIERF participants and graduated entrepreneurs, fueling the startup trend within Africa and accelerating the lagging time-spans required to establish businesses, provision of professional consultancy and placing participants at rewarding internships and positions.
WJ Mudolo Social Enterprises Investment Loan Fund (MSEILF) Program
The MSEILF program looks forward to fill-in the scarcity of funds faced by new and existing social enterprises through provision of relaxed, unsecured loans for amounts ranging from US$1,000 up to US$100,000 or more depending with the accentuating project. The amalgamation of loan and funding in a single grant under MSEILF program can be taken advantage of by African charities and social enterprises facing financial hardships to execute their operations. A flat interest rate of 5% with a split between capital and interest payments is offered upon the amount loaned throughout the term. The package may include an element of up to 30% grant on a subjective basis. The funds provided under the program are accompanied by MSEILF Investment Fund Manager, which supports investment evaluation and appraisal. The ultimate motive behind creation of such a fund is to promote establishments based on social enterprise framework, and remove obstructions hindering the access of finance for such business models.Upon repayment of the loaned finances, it may be re-loaned and re-invested back into the program.
The MSEILF Program boasts the following salient features:
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Loans ranging from US$1,000 up to US$100,000
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Chances to secure grants of up to 30% of the loan amount
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Short-term repayment period between 1 to 5 years
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Unsecured loans: No assets to be pledged as collateral
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Professional support and advisory for initial and ongoing financial planning
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Flexible and customizable loan packages as per the applicants' convenience
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Fixed rates and exact terms
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Re-investment of funds back into the sector
Eligible organizations able to show their operations as social enterprises shall also demonstrate:
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Social service and community benefit vested in ideology and outlined in the constitution or other governing business document
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Substantial income generating business activities
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Assets employed, utilized and retained for community welfare
Different organizational structures including charities, community interest groups, companies limited by shares, companies limited by guarantee, cooperatives, and industrial & provident societies are eligible and may apply to benefit from MSEILF program. The Foundation does not entertain individuals, unincorporated entities or governmental organizations and statutory bodies who shall not apply to receive funds under the program. The enterprises applying shall be fully owned by persons and permanent residents in African countries and participating residents only.
The program shall function as per the following order:
Initial Enquiries / Rounds Announcements > Full Application be made > Development & Assessment > Panel Discussions > Monitoring & Evaluation > Funding Rounds
WJ Mudolo Entrepreneurship Skills Development (MESD) Program
Developing business-acumen and mentorships is as significant and essential for a smoothly launched and successfully running business as it is for an individuals professional success. By taking up entrepreneurship or other trading professions, any students or any involved persons are likely to learn invaluable strategies, polish their confidence, identify fine business values, recognize and opt for opportunities and be willing to take and afford risks. The object is to push students and energetic participants farthest to their limits of ability and to inculcate a sense of responsibility, and command over all their actions that they choose to do, and unlike the mainstream customs, embrace their conditions and failures as crucial fractions of their lives coming together to make them succeed eventually. Students and persons well-acquainted with the functioning and planning taken up by entrepreneurship are at ease of identifying their passions, and make wise choices about their futures. The program aids non-profit organizations striving to provide and develop entrepreneurial skills and conduct mentorship programs for students as well as graduated aspirant entrepreneurs. The skill development and mentorship activities offered under the MESD program can be applied to be undertaken by qualified students aged 10 years and above, the minimum age ensuring that the participants actually learn to initiate, fund operate and grow a successful business concern from time-to-time. Evidence proving at least 1 (one) year of successful business activity must be presented in order to manifest interest and sincerity towards the program. The MESD program also extends to offering scholarship to students, lying between the age bracket from 10 to 18 years, who may be able to prove merit on need basis, and an innate appeal for business and entrepreneurship. After obtaining a scholarship, it may be used to sponsor approved business and entrepreneurship skills enrichment programs, which may include holiday training camps, after-school activities, boot camps and incubation events, and in certain cases for payment of college tuitions as well, where such programs are supported by the WJ Mudolo Foundation itself.
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