Ethiopia’s garment sector sees 70% surge in women leaders
The Women Leadership Development Programme (WLDP), an initiative of Better Work, equips these workers with essential skills and mentorship.
Better Work is a collaboration between the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The programme enables them to secure leadership roles and fostering a shift towards greater workplace equality in the industry.
Moreover, it has also benefited senior supervisors, with ten out of 178 mentors achieving promotions to middle-level leadership.
Initiated in 2021, the WLDP employs a multifaceted training approach that includes classroom instruction, practical exercises, and consistent mentorship.
The training has equipped women workers with essential skills such as decision-making, conflict resolution, communication, influencing, problem-solving, and planning.
Factories participating in the programme have observed enhancements in line efficiency and product quality, coupled with a decrease in absenteeism, Better Work stated.
Azeb Abraham, an industrial engineering executive at JP Garment, said: “Before the training, I struggled with communication and lacked self-confidence. After completing the ILO’s Leadership and Technical Skills training, I now take the lead, communicate clearly, and lead my team with confidence.”
The WLDP concluded in May 2025 as a flagship element of the ILO’s Better Work programme aimed at fostering better employment conditions and more equitable workplaces within Ethiopia’s industrial parks.
The initiative also included factory-level coaching and mentorship by preparing mentors, often senior supervisors and HR professionals.
Building upon these achievements, plans are underway to establish a Women Leaders Network in the cities of Hawassa and Addis Ababa.
This network will unite WLDP graduates from the Hawassa and Bole Lemi Industrial Parks to facilitate mentorship, enhance visibility for women leaders, promote inter-factory collaboration, and support women’s career progression and leadership development.
The WLDP is also expanding into horticulture and is partnering with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Industry to implement similar leadership development programmes in eight additional enterprises, seven of which are owned by women.
ILO Better Work Ethiopia team leader Tigist Fisseha said: “The impact of the WLDP is both measurable and deeply personal. We are not only increasing productivity on the factory floor, but helping women unlock their full leadership potential —transforming lives, workplaces, and communities.”
