India, March 19, 2025: Goa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is evolving and expanding with structured support and focused interventions. Marking a significant milestone, the EDII-Goa Centre, set up in collaboration with EDC Limited, completes its first year of fostering enterprise growth in the state by equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with skills, mentorship, and incubation support. As it enters its second year, the Centre continues to strengthen Goa’s entrepreneurial landscape, encouraging innovation beyond its traditional industries.
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad, a National Resource Institute in the field of entrepreneurship promotion, education & training and MSME growth is recognized as a Centre of Excellence in the skilling ecosystem (as recognised by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India). Being housed in Gujarat for more than 42 years now, EDII has got a peek into multiple cases of entrepreneurial failures and successes. Having researched these closely, the Institute has developed a unique, market-driven, result-oriented Gujarat-inspired framework of entrepreneurship promotion. Every programme model/curriculum is deep-rooted in learnings, trends of the industry, innovations and inclusive growth.
EDII has already hand held 12 State Governments, in addition to the Governments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to set up ED Centres in their respective regions. In addition to this, the encouraging aspect is that EDII has been beckoned by several more State Governments to set up State-supported Entrepreneurship Development Centres. These include Uttarakhand, Goa, Chhattisgarh and several states of the North Eastern Region. The activities have commenced in Goa, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh with tangible results.
The EDII – Goa Centre, set up on March 12 2024, with the support of EDC Limited, Goa, is focused on catalyzing entrepreneurial growth in Goa. The inception of the Centre was initiated when Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant urged Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel to advise EDII to undertake the task. The centre is housed in the EDC Complex, Panaji, and serves as a hub for fostering entrepreneurial thinking, attaining economic self-reliance and building a more substantial support system for upcoming and existing entrepreneurs through skill development programmes, capacity-building initiatives and personal mentoring. Youths, particularly are being motivated,counselled and trained so that there is a rise in their intent towards entrepreneurship as a viable career option. They are extensively being equipped with skillsets for successful survival in a competitive business environment. Micro incubation centres are also in the process of being established in college campuses for incubating novel ideas.
The completion of one year of the EDII-Goa Centre coincided with the 50th anniversary of EDC Limited, the Centre’s nodal agency.
The milestones of both the Institutes were celebrated in the presence of hon’ble Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant who lauded the partnership between EDII and EDC Ltd. in joining hands for promoting entrepreneurship in the state. “We align our goals with that of the Nation’s, and move ahead with the mission of making India, the fastest growing economy with entrepreneurship being a huge driver of growth. On the front of entrepreneurship, while tourism reigns supreme, we now want people, especially youths, to explore other potential sectors and areas. EDII and EDC Ltd are effectively ensuring that Goa witnesses a cohort of new entrepreneurs pioneering novel ideas and innovations”, commented Dr. Sawant.
On the occasion, Shri B. S. Pai Angle, Managing Director, EDC Limited said, “Our missions are perfectly aligned with EDII and under the aegis of the EDII Goa Centre, we are committed to bringing about a notable wave of inclusive development in terms of skill and capacity building, entrepreneurship development training and empowerment across target groups.
Expressing his views, Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, stated, “We are committed to propelling Goa’s youth and MSMEs to new heights of entrepreneurship. I am thankful to the EDC Ltd. and the entire State Machinery , under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant for envisioning a vibrant hub of innovation and entrepreneurship in Goa and Beckoning EDII to design and implement a result-oriented model. “
In one year, more than 700 students have been trained and more than 250 potential ideas of aspiring entrepreneurs have been handheld. Unshackling the society at large from the misconceptions, apprehensions and roadblocks surrounding entrepreneurship took long but the results are worth the efforts. Today, EDII is ranked amongst the most trusted partners to the Government, the corporates and the academia and is establishing that entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for economic development.
