Aqaba Micro-business Incubator Graduates Their First 22 Prospective Entrepreneurs

اAqaba Micro-business Incubator Graduates Their First 22 Prospective Entrepreneurs

On Tuesday, November 18, 2008, the Aqaba Micro-business Incubator, located in the Noor Al-Hussein Foundation building in Aqaba, graduated their first 22 prospective entrepreneurs who had successfully completed the first "How to Start Your Business" training program series.  The training program was implemented in cooperation with ASEZA and supported by a grant from the USAID-funded Aqaba Community and Economic Development (ACED) Program.

Ms. Karima Dabet, Director of the ASEZA Local Community Directorate, and Mr. Larry Hearn, ACED Program Chief of Party, distributed certificates to program graduates. The graduation was attended by members of the Aqaba community and ASEZA and ACED Program staff.

"How to Start Your Business" is a comprehensive training program for the Aqaba community in which prospective entrepreneurs participate in eight training days spread over two to three weeks covering the following topics:
 
-     Assess and strengthen your potential as an entrepreneur
-     Assess and strengthen your personal financial situation
-     Identify a good business idea
-     Evaluate viability of your business idea
-     Decide your start up strategy
-     Identify a legal entity for your new business
-     Choose the location for your new business
-     Determine your required start-up capital
-     Prepare your business plan
-     Prepare your feasibility study

One graduate of the "How to Start Your Business" course expressed her appreciation for the course stating, "Over the last five months I knew my idea was viable, but after completing the course I now realize that without this training I would have for sure not been successful in my project."

The ACED Program also conducted an awareness session on "Entrepreneurship" for Aqaba reporters on the 18th, to give them a brief idea about the project and the intended impact of this project for the community.

After the participants have completed their training, incubator staff will assist the graduates with their feasibility studies which could subsequently be submitted to the Aqaba Micro-Business Incubator with a request to be incubated. The incubator will supply premises for five to ten prospective entrepreneurs for a period of six to nine months.  Logistical and technical support will also be provided to the incubated entrepreneurs.