Press Note on Entrepreneurship Development Initiatives Conducted by EDII Goa Centre

The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) Goa Centre, officially inaugurated on March 12, 2024, by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant, represents a strategic collaboration between EDII, EDC Limited, and the Goa CSR Authority. Located at the EDC House, the centre aims to foster innovation-driven entrepreneurship, skill development, and the empowerment of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the region.
By offering a range of entrepreneurial programs, the centre serves as a crucial catalyst for promoting sustainable business practices, entrepreneurship, and economic development across Goa. The centre’s mission is to provide aspiring entrepreneurs and MSMEs with the necessary knowledge, mentorship, and resources to create and scale successful businesses.
The EDII Goa Centre has successfully conducted a series of Entrepreneurship Programs under the EDC CSR initiative, designed to nurture both new and existing entrepreneurs. These programs, which include the 1-Day Entrepreneurship Awareness Program (EAP) and the 3-Day Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP), have collectively empowered hundreds of participants. To date, the centre has conducted 15 EAPs in colleges across Goa, training over 750+ students and aspiring entrepreneurs on the basics of entrepreneurship, market opportunities, and challenges. Additionally, 5 EDPs have been organized, providing more than 250 participants—comprising aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs—with practical skills in business planning, financial management, marketing, and legal compliance. The programs have featured expert faculties, including Chartered Accountants, Advocates, senior EDII trainers, and social media agency owners, offering specialized insights and real-world experience. In addition to this, EDII Goa Centre will be conducting a two-week Micro Enterprise Development Program (MEDP) for aspiring/existing entrepreneurs.
In association with the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), the EDII-Goa centre has conducted two five-day training programs, training 65 livelihood cadres from North and South Goa, imparting them an understanding of entrepreneurship and village enterprise ecosystems, enabling them to guide entrepreneurs in business planning, management, and performance tracking. Additionally, with the objective of developing knowledge and equipping SHG Member exhibitors with the skills to provide business development support to rural entrepreneurs, two pre-SARAS training programs were undertaken. A total of 178 participants gained technical competency by exploring business opportunity identification, enterprise establishment processes, management, and performance monitoring. They also developed essential competencies such as planning, quality consciousness, efficiency, and service orientation to empower rural enterprises. Apart from this, we are conducting a scoping study under the sectoral cluster development for 2 identified blocks on Coastal Tourism and Multi-craft Tourism.
The Entrepreneurship Development Program under DAY-NULM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission) is being conducted in Goa to empower City Level Federations (CLFs), Area Level Federations (ALFs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and individual and group entrepreneurs. Organized by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) in collaboration with EDII-Goa, this initiative, issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, has trained 125 beneficiaries across multiple urban local bodies, including Margao, Panaji, Mormugao, Mapusa, Ponda, and other municipal councils. The training covers key entrepreneurial aspects such as business opportunity identification, financial literacy, legal compliance, marketing strategies, business plan preparation, project report drafting, micro-investment processes, and government schemes for micro-enterprise development. By equipping participants with essential knowledge and skills, this program aims to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem and promote sustainable livelihood opportunities in Goa.
The Directorate of Industries, Trade & Commerce (DITC), Government of Goa, in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) – Goa Centre, is implementing Business Management Trainings and the Transformation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) into MSMEs under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Programme. This initiative aims to strengthen the MSME ecosystem in Goa. The first intervention, Business Management Trainings, targets 8,000 MSMEs, equipping them with essential skills in project management, leadership and team building, financial management, quality management, risk management, digital marketing, brand promotion, strategic planning, labour laws, talent management, and government procurement. The second intervention, Transforming SHGs into MSMEs, aims to train 1,600 SHG members. This program includes awareness sessions on government schemes, skill development in product standardization, packaging, branding, digital literacy, and marketing, along with guidance on business registration through Business Facilitation Centers (BFCs). Through these structured training programs, EDII-Goa aims to empower entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge necessary to establish and grow sustainable businesses, thereby contributing to Goa’s economic development.
A core aspect of the EDII Goa Centre’s approach is its focus on providing ongoing support for entrepreneurs even after the programs conclude. In addition to the training sessions, the centre offers one year of handholding support, ensuring that participants have access to mentorship, guidance, and resources to tackle the challenges of business management, scaling operations, and navigating government schemes. The structured, long-term nature of the support program aims to bridge the gap between initial business concepts and sustainable, successful business operations. Through these initiatives, the centre is playing a pivotal role in increasing entrepreneurial awareness, developing practical business skills, and fostering the growth of micro-enterprises in Goa, contributing significantly to the local economy and entrepreneurial ecosystem.