Interview with local representative Saskia Kloezeman
"A business is far more than its name or office building"
A business is far more than its name or office building. Success in bringing quality products and services to market hinges on human resources possessing technical capacity and integrated organizational network. While many fledgling Ethiopian sectors have yet failed to implement a comprehensive strategy to bring these elements of a business to fruition, one Belgian initiative is making this a reality. Ex-Change brings in international experts to advise local Ethiopian businesses and conduct capacity building activities.
The results, Saskia Kloezeman, Ex-Change's Ethiopian representative says, are sure to pay off as soon as companies begin to make use the consultancy's services to enhance business operations.
How did you come to meet Ex-Change?
Saskia: I have been working in Ethiopia since 2004 when I began with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). I was placed in Arba Minch at the TEI and later at Arba Minch University where I have been working on the development of higher education, quality of education and researching to facilitate the improvement of education in Ethiopia. During my time in Addis Ababa, I came to meet some Belgian people and during my visit in Europe they arranged a meeting at the office of Ex-Change in Belgium. After this they provided me a chance to be their local representative in Ethiopia.
How does Ex-Change support local business people?
Saskia: What we do is facilitate experts to come to Ethiopia and assist the local business. We have begun supporting local businesses in technical ways, providing advice and capacity building for the local businessmen. It is interesting to see how people develop business in Ethiopia; they are very creative. I am happy to be part of this and support the initiative; I really want to work more on the Ex-Change initiative. Because I observe that businesses are having a more sustainable contribution to development and economic growth. We are working for example on how small businesses can access and compete on the market.
What are the solutions Ex-Change proposes to solve these perception problems?
Saskia: I think capacity building is one of the best ways to empower people so they can solve problems by themselves and with their own ideas. What I observed in the last years in Ethiopia is that people have big plans, and they have dreams. What we can do is bring few in the relevant experts and as a first step look into the business and assist in making high quality products and facilitate their route to the international market.
How does Ex-Change get its funds, and in how many countries is it active? How does it work?
Saskia: It is funded by the Belgian government, Cera, Dexia, Fortis, ING en KBC. The organization is active in 17 countries in Africa and South America. There are around 140 experts per year sent to different locations for various projects.
First, the local representative is approached by a local business or entrepreneur. The application form is then filled out according to the standard requirements. The form is sent to Belgium, where a vacancy will be posted for an expert to support the business. After finding an expert, the CV will be submitted to the local representative and the business. After agreeing on the details, arrangements are made for the expert to come and provide the requested support. After the intervention of the expert, some feedback activities take place and the relation is finalized or continued, based upon the needs of the organization.
Which regions and areas is Ex-Change focusing on at the moment?
Saskia: We are working throughout Ethiopia and are demand driven, so it depends on the requests of the businesses or entrepreneurs. It is not me who is deciding, but it depends of course on the people I meet or that are contacting me. Actually we are able to provide support in all different areas of business. In addition to tourism I am working on handicrafts, education and jewelry.
How was Ethiopia chosen for the program?
Saskia: Based upon the network Ex-Change is working on, they met with the Ethiopian Embassy in Brussels. One of the first people starting the initiative of Ex-Change was an Ethiopian who studied in Belgium. Unfortunately he has been so busy that he could not combine all the tasks.
Is Ex-Change's impact measurable on the life of the business community?
Saskia: With the objectives we are setting upon the visit of the expert, it is possible to make the impact measurable of course. The situation before the arrival of the expert is clearly stated and the expectations of the expert are clearly communicated. Some of the impacts will not always be directly visible but will take a longer time to become apparent.
How many people have benefited from this initiative so far?
Saskia: The number of people that are benefiting is different per project. All over the world around 5,000 businesses have been benefiting so far from the initiative of Ex-Change. One of the major projects is in South Africa. Ex-Change wants to be able to guarantee the quality of the interventions and put some efforts in return to the visits of experts, so they can observe their impact.
Final comment?
Saskia: I would like to offer the readers the opportunity to make use of the Ex-Change initiative and please contact me (or you local representative). I will always be interested in exploring new areas of support.