Internship at the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Center

Background

The Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation works to catalyze Africa’s Economic Transformation through social entrepreneurship, science and technology, innovation, public health, and progressive policies that create economic opportunities for all.

The Denis and Lenora Foundation is host to the Nkafu Policy Institute and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center.

Internship at the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Center

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Centre (SBEC) is focused on providing the tools for establishing and expanding businesses in the private sector to spur economic growth.

Objective

The SBEC department is currently in search of 01 (one) intern. The SBEC Intern is responsible for providing support to the SBEC team regarding all activities and services deemed necessary to advance the mission of the department. He/She is required to bring fresh ideas to the table when it comes to engaging more entrepreneurs through the SBEC network. This will have a strong focus on empowering women in the private sector to establish and grow small and medium-sized enterprises.

Core duties

• Creating opportunities for mutual learning among small business owners through the organization of workshops/seminars;
• Establishing an extensive network of professional services to cater to the many needs of small businesses in the country;
• Developing a strategy to effectively register SMEs to the SBEC Network;
• Designing and implementing an essential skills program for all members of the SBEC Network;
• Conceiving concept notes and programs for all events;
• Preparing draft reports for all events
• Mobilizing participants during events;
• Delivering letters of correspondence during the preparation of events;
• Updating the database of participants after every SBEC event to increase the audience of constant contacts;
• Taking notes and producing reports during events;
• Participating in community engaging events;
• Performing other tasks as may be assigned.

Skills and qualification

The ideal candidate will possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences and Economics or another related field.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the Foundation’s values and ethical standards.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the Foundation.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Respect, positive attitude, proactiveness and professionalism

Functional competencies:

• Strong writing and research skills; must be able to distill relevant information from large data sets, reports, articles and academic papers.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in English and French.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint…).
• Be a good communicator and team player.
• Be able to multi-task, be extremely organized, and have meticulous attention to detail.
• Desire to learn, take initiative, and suggest best practices with a willingness to take and implement constructive feedback and guidance.

What we offer & Conditions :

• We offer three (3) months of full-time internship with leading experts and academics ;
• We equally offer transport allowance (60.000 FCFA) ;
• In-house training and unlimited access to the internet ;
• Our interns have full access to research seminars, round-tables, workshops, and discussion groups hosted by the Nkafu Policy Institute and its partners, in addition to conferences on a wide range of emerging issues critical to business and policy interests in Cameroon and Africa at large ;
• Interns are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of the internship. The Foundation accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship ;
• The intern is responsible for arranging travel to and from Yaoundé where the internship will be performed ;
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent the Foundation in any official capacity ;
• The purpose of the Internship Program is not to lead to further employment with Foundation but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship ;
• Interns are required to bring their own laptop upon starting their internship ;
• The intern will be evaluated at the end of the contract and due recognition of work will be issued in writing ;

How to apply  

All applications will be completed ONLINE using the Application Portal. To complete your application, you will need:

• A one-page cover letter indicating your research areas of interest (in PDF)
• A curriculum vitae/ Resume (in PDF)
• A professional photo

Deadline of applications 

Complete and submit your application by January 31, 2025 at 23:59 (Cameroon time).

NB: All interns should specify which division or department they are applying for in their application form. All interns who do not specify what division or department they are applying to will not be selected for an interview.

Only complete applications will be considered.

For more information 

Feel free to contact us at [email protected]

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