Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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Bezuidenhoutseweg 67
Netherlands
http://www.minbuza.nl/en

'BiD Network is a very young dynamic organisation, able to respond quickly to new developments and opportunities. The assistance from BiD and its partners is very much appreciated by entrepreneurs. BiD Network has developed into a well-known organisation in The Netherlands mobilising hundreds of volunteers for coaching, for screening and jury membership. BiD Challenges has resulted in a large number of business plans submitted by entrepreneurs' André Haspels, Deputy Director of the Department of Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and BiD Network
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been supporting BiD Network from 2007 onwards. Thanks to their consistent support, BiD network was able to turn into a professional provider of services to SMEs.
- Since January 2011 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has supported BiD Network and SPARK in a 5 year funded program “the United Entrepreneurship Coalition”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes private sector development as the key to economic growth and as one of the most important means towards poverty alleviation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is dedicated to eliminating conflict, poverty and injustice.
'We will be making joint, targeted investments in developing countries in economic development, security, stability and the legal order’ said Mr Knapen, Minister of Foreign Affairs. ‘In this way we will be helping to make poor people in these countries more self-reliant, raise their living standards and give them prospects for the future.'

United Entrepreneurship Coalition
In January 2011, BiD Network and SPARK started working in a newly established partnership “the United Entrepreneurship Coalition” in a five-year programme funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The coalition is committed to boost entrepreneurship and create about 8500 jobs and 1300 SMEs in post conflict countries. Target regions are Kosovo, Liberia, Palestine, Burundi and Rwanda. The 26 local partners involved in this program are all specialized in entrepreneurship development, it are among others: business support centres, chambers of commerce, business schools and (micro-finance) institutions.

The program rests on two pillars:
- strengthening the capacity of local SME service providers;
- enabling them to directly support entrepreneurs in starting a new company or increase the growth of an existing firm.
The program also delivers direct support to entrepreneurs through the BiD Network online platform that gives them access to international coaching and a network of investors.