by A Journey of Insight and Innovation
At the heart of every successful venture lies a thorough understanding of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats—a process known as SWOT Analysis. This is why 22 interns from the AAE Member Department embarked on a journey to apply this strategic tool as part of the collaborative mentoring process of AAE. Through this exercise, both entrepreneurs and interns gained invaluable insights into the business landscape and honed their analytical skills.
SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the internal and external factors that impact a business. By understanding these factors, businesses can make informed decisions and develop strategies to overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities. For our interns, this wasn’t just a theoretical exercise. They were given the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting, researching and analyzing the businesses of entrepreneurs featured on the AAE website.
Here’s a recap of the steps that our interns took on their SWOT Analysis adventure:
| Step 1: Nominations from AAE Partner | Students are carefully selected by a a local AAE partner. )usually one or more educational institution). |
| Step 2: Sign-Up for the Task | ?Students register for the task and are provide with the necessary login details to access the AAE platform and resources to help them carry on the task. |
| Step 3: Selection of an Entrepreneur | With their AAE accounts activated, students are ready to select an entrepreneur whose business idea or company inspires them. They were encouraged to be intentional about their choices, looking for entrepreneurs who worked in industries they were familiar with or who possessed skills, knowledge, and connections that they would like to connect with.. |
| Step 4: Answers to Kick-Off Questions | Work begins with a kick-off report through a report post on the AAE website to clarify the purpose, reasons and reference details of task. |
| Step 5: Creation of Report | Studnts create the topics and subjects for their reports by delving deeper into the business dynamics of their chosen entrepreneur’s business, reading entrepreneur profiles and exploring the enterprise needs of the enterpreneurs. Sometimes personal interviews are employed |
| Step 6:Submition of Findings | Students are encouraged to be creative and innovative in presenting their findings, and many chose to create video reports to support the text. |
Almost all members of the August student group demonstrated a deep understanding of the SWOT Analysis framework. They curated information from a wide range of sources and later presented clear and concise reports. The reports cover enterprises from six African countries namely: Ethiopia, Cameroon, South Sudan, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana. One of the enterprises, Melaku Textitles, had the most selection of eight. According Melaku Tegegn, the owner: “Your insights have provided valuable perspectives that are instrumental for our strategic planning and growth”
| Nation | Number of reports issued |
| ETHIOPIA | 8 |
| CAMEROON | 5 |
| SOUTH SUDAN | 3 |
| SOUTH AFRICA | 2 |
| NIGERIA | 2 |
| GHANA | 1 |
The Real Value
It was an opportunity for our students to learn, grow, and develop their skills in a real-world setting. They gained hands-on experience in strategic planning and business analysis, and they were able to apply their knowledge to the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs in Africa. We’re proud of the hard work and dedication displayed. Their enthusiasm and commitment to learning were evident in every aspect of the process and we know that they will carry these skills with them whenever they they embark on their own entrepreneurial journeys.
Conclusion
Through this project, students as well as entrepreneurs gained valuable insights into the business landscape but also honed their analytical, networking and communication skills by working together and sharing their ideas and findings.
[Attention!]
If interested, you can join us facebook , follow us on twitter or even mention us on your blogs or magazines, or even a word of your mouth dedicated to out cause would be helpful!
