18 Aug 2019

Junior Achievement Botswana’s (JAB) efforts to empower the youth through entrepreneurship skills present an opportunity for learners to share best practices.

Speaking during JA Africa Company of the year Qualifiers competitions at Orapa on August 17, JAB programme manager, Mr Tiboke Mhlambi said the competitions were for the companies that got position one in the junior and senior category during the national best business expose held in Gaborone on July 6.

Mr Mhlambi said young people were made to appreciate the importance of the dress code and  during the competitions students wore school uniforms or business wear to help them understand the importance of dressing appropriately in the workplace or when attending interviews.

JAB, he said empowered young Batswana to succeed in the work environment through a dynamic business, economic, entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy education programmes and cultivated the spirit of free enterprise and self-reliance.

For her part, JAB office manager, Ms Banyana Mannaesi said they developed in young people, an understanding of basic concepts of a business and economics and their relationship to life experiences.

She said they teach the youth skills such as decision-making, problem solving skills, team work, leadership, initiation and self-reliance. 

Ms Mannaesi said currently, they targeted junior and senior secondary school students, but plans were ongoing to open the programme to primary school pupils.

The programme she said, covered the entire country and included rural and urban areas.

JAB is a Non-Profit Organisation that deals with entrepreneurship and has former president, Mr Festus Mogae as its patron. Relo-Pave investment of Kgatadima JSS at Maokatumo got position one. Their product was plastic bricks, second position went to Unique Angels of Creativity from Mater Spei College for producing modern hand bags.

The Unstoppable Dream Chasers of Selolwane JSS in Francitown got third potion and their product was reflective ear tags.

The Company that got position one will represent Botswana at the 2019 JA Africa company of the year competition to be held December in Ghana. ENDS