06 Jun 2018

Kgosi Michael Maforaga has encouraged the youth to take the Palapye Business Expo seriously to nurture a culture of entrepreneurship.
Speaking in an interview during a two-day Palapye Business Expo, Kgosi Maforaga said the expo was an initiative that offered innovative teaching methods through workshops and good business practices that the youth could tap into.
He noted that the expo brought businessmen and women of different kinds in one place to interact and share their business knowledge which could be beneficial to aspiring youth entrepreneurs.
He said it was vital for the youth to benchmark from successful business owners on how they sold their business to customers.
He hailed Paramount Springs, a 100 per cent youth owned business for organising the expo, noting that it would assist the country to become more competitive and reduce unemployment as well as market and promote local businesses.
Kgosi Maforaga also noted that the occasion marked the second Palapye Business Expo which would help create successful youth businesses as well as monitor growth yearly through workshops as well as close the gap between local businesses and customers by bringing them in one place.
He said the country faced a paradox of highly educated young people who were unemployed, adding that such initiatives were capable of creating employment for the youth if introduced and conducted well.
He stressed that the expo acted as a marketing strategy for existing youth businesses.
One of the organisers, Mr Thato Leburu said the main purpose of the expo was to give aspiring youth entrepreneurs a platform to interact with well established businesses and to put more emphasis on marketing existing youth businesses.
He said by making the Palapye Business Expo an annual event, they wanted to economically improve Palapye and reduce the high numbers of unemployment faced by the youth.
He said it was pleasing to have hosted a turnout of over 40 exhibitors, adding that  in the next event they would incorporate agriculture businesses owned by the youth. ENDS