This agreement will enable FICOHSA executives to provide private mentoring sessions to Honduran women entrepreneurs who are EMPRO grantees.
The main objective of these mentoring sessions is to provide the 40 beneficiaries of the program with adequate preparation in the process of obtaining financing. The FICOHSA executives will review the business plans that the entrepreneurs have been working on during the past months of their training with members of the faculty of INCAE and national and international experts in the subjects addressed. FICOHSA mentors will ensure that the entrepreneurs understand the process of formalizing a loan and will provide specific advice according to the needs of each business.
These mentorships will take place in the final phase of the program, after having received comprehensive training over the past seven months. During this period, the participants have acquired knowledge in key areas such as growth and internationalization strategies, product marketing, brand management, productivity enhancement, financial management, competitiveness, preparation for financing and corporate governance, among others.
We have doubled the number of mentoring hours required according to the design of the Program, thus confirming the commitment of the national banks to accompany us in this training process," said Gracia María Barahona, Manager of the EMPRO Program in Honduras, since INCAE will sign a total of five agreements with national banking entities for this purpose.
Telma Sevilla, Deputy Manager of FICOHSA said, "We are pleased to announce this strategic agreement with INCAE to strengthen women-led entrepreneurship through our 'Mujeres Adelante' program. We recognize the valuable role that women play and that with their contribution they contribute to the economic and social growth of our region. With this alliance, we will provide them with tools, training and resources to promote their business development and encourage their leadership in the market".
Within the framework of this alliance, both entities will work in coordination to achieve the established objectives. In addition, FICOHSA will participate in the business roundtables to be held in mid-June of this year, where the businesswomen will present the projects they have been working on before a panel of executives from the country's financial sector.
The EMPRO Program began in October 2022 and is managed by INCAE and financed with funds from the PriceSmart Foundation and Cargill. During the signing of the agreement, we were joined by Gracia María Barahona, Manager of the EMPRO Honduras Program, and José Arturo Alvarado - First Regional Vice President of Finance and Corporate Services of FICOHSA.
For further information please contact Mauren Esquivel at mauren.esquivel@incae.edu
