- The international MBA Acelera programme, driven by the Belgian organisation ACTEC and the Spanish organisation Fundación del Valle, has impacted more than 4,000 entrepreneurs in Colombia. Internationally, it has contributed to strengthening more than 34,000 jobs and to creating more than 16,000 new jobs.
- The participating enterprises in four countries (Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Kenya) report average growth of 40% in sales, 30% in annual job creation and 30% in job formalisation—figures that demonstrate a structural transformation in the management, sustainability and outlook of the productive units supported by the programme.
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More than 4,000 entrepreneurs in Colombia have participated in the international MBA Acelera programme, an initiative that has impacted more than 6,500 entrepreneurs in four countries and contributed to strengthening more than 34,000 jobs, in addition to creating 16,000 new jobs.
On average, participating enterprises report growth of 40% in sales and 30% in annual job creation, as well as significant progress in job formalisation and strategic management.
In Colombia, where micro-enterprises represent close to 94% of the business fabric, strengthening managerial and strategic capabilities has become a key factor for sustainability and employment growth. The programme seeks precisely to close that gap through practical training in finance, planning, leadership and commercial management, adapted to the real context of entrepreneurs.
MBA Acelera is driven by the Belgian organisation ACTEC and the Spanish organisation Fundación del Valle, and in Colombia it is implemented in partnership with Interactuar, Fundación Carvajal and Fundación Grupo Social.
In addition to its economic impact, the model incorporates an inclusion approach. 47% of participants are women, a figure that rises to 77% in the entrepreneurial seedbeds linked to the programme, strengthening women’s leadership in the productive environment.
The programme is implemented in four countries—Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador and Kenya—thanks to a network of organisations that share the same vision: building development from the micro-enterprise. This network makes it possible to adapt the model to each territory, share learnings and co-create new solutions. In our country, MBA Acelera operates in Bogotá, Cali, Buenaventura, Medellín and various subregions of Antioquia.
This coordination between international cooperation, the private sector, foundations, academia and business development organisations has mobilised more than €20 million with 30 partners and has made it possible to scale the model and generate sustainable impacts in different economic contexts.
This is how Daniel Turiel, Executive Director of ACTEC, describes it: “We propose a change in mindset. Instead of seeing entrepreneurs with problems, we see entrepreneurs with potential who are capable of transforming their environment.”
Belén Valenzuela of Fundación del Valle, for her part, states that “the international network is an essential element of MBA Acelera for us because it makes it possible to connect different institutions and people to enrich one another and share learnings about MSMEs.”
The results reflect not only growth in figures, but also a transformation in the way micro and small enterprises manage their business, make decisions and plan their expansion in increasingly demanding markets.
