nigest haile

Nigest Haile     

Nigest Haile is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Accelerated Women’s Economic Empowerment (CAWEE). She is an activist in the promotion of women entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on women exporters. Nigest has 23 years of experience working in the Ethiopian Ministry of Trade and Industry, in various capacities. In 2004, she founded CAWEE, a pioneering trade promotion organization working in Ethiopia and beyond, providing promotional and capacity-building support services targeting women exporters. CAWEE was the implementing organization of the economic empowerment project of the Office of the First Lady of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE): “Connecting 1,500 Women and Young Girls to the Export Market.”

Nigest was the Lead Coordinator of this project, where grassroots women were provided marketable skills and connected to high-end domestic as well as export markets. In facilitating export markets, bringing buyers to Ethiopia, and taking trade missions of women entrepreneurs to different countries, Nigest has played a crucial role. In the past few years, she organized such trade missions to 19 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Rwanda, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Turkey, UK, and USA.

Nigest received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology (major) and Sociology (minor) from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and her Post Graduate Diploma in Globalization and Development from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague, Netherlands. She also trained in women’s entrepreneurship development and other relevant areas of enterprise development and export promotion in different countries and holds various diplomas and certificates.

Nigest secured her Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business & Technology in February 2022, USA. She is actively involved in conducting various kinds of action-oriented research, focusing on women in business, and has published a book compiling the findings of five different researches on ‘Challenges Affecting Women in Business’. In the research ‘Strengthening Women-to-Women Business Market Linkages: Lessons from Experience,’ currently in its dissemination stage, Nigest led the research team.

Nigest received an award from the Department of State, USA, in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the development of women-led businesses. She was also selected by The International Alliance for Women (TIAW), Canada, as a TIAW Award Winner for the Year 2012, for her significant work in economically empowering women. Nigest Haile also received a Pan-African Award in 2012 from UN Women and ILO, in recognition of her participation and support of Women’s Entrepreneurship Development in the African continent. She was the 2015 award winner of the AWiB (Association of Women in Boldness) Women of Excellence Award in Ethiopia. In September 2017, Nigest received the “Enabler of Vision” award in New York from the Center for Economic and Leadership Development during the International Conference on Gender & Sustainability.

In 2017, Nigest also began serving as Global Ambassador for the Vital Voices, USA mentorship program. Starting in April 2017, Nigest has served as the Executive Committee member (Treasurer) of the African Community of Practice (AfCoP). In March 2018, Nigest received the “Women Stop Hunger Award” in Paris, France. In September 2019, Nigest received the Global Woman Leadership Award in Jabalpur, India, and the Hamlin Awards in September 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Nigest is one of the promoters and founders of the first women’s commercial bank, named “ENAT Bank” in Ethiopia, and served as a board member of the bank for three rounds, i.e., for nine years. Nigest is a member of various boards, juries (e.g., jury member at the Sub-Saharan Africa Jury of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards: 2010 – 2017), platforms, and networks, both locally, regionally, and internationally (e.g., member of the African Women Leaders Network, Executive Council member of the African Community of Practice, member of Sisters in Charge International – SiCi, based in Helsinki, Finland). She was the Focal Person for Ethiopia, 2005-2013, for the ACCESS! Program (Access for African Business Women in International Trade), an International Trade Center executed program.

She is also an Advisory Board Member of the Global Economic Forum for Women in Africa. Nigest also serves as a Board member at the Healing Hands of Joy, an international NGO that works on Fistula, USA, and as a Trustee at the Hailemariam & Roman Foundation, Ethiopia, and Opportunity International, UK.