03 Nov 2019

Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) are said to be vital to the economy of the nation and even globally, therefore any efforts towards developing them was welcome.

Speaking at the graduation of 92 youth engaged in an initiative known as STRYDE (Strengthening Youth Development through Enterprise) recently, Debswana Jwaneng mine corporate affairs manager, Ms Montlenyane Baaitse said SMMEs make up 90 percent of global businesses and employ half of the global workforce, while contributing 40 percent to the global economy.

She said for that reason, her company and other stakeholders were happy to invest in the STRYDE initiative, which is a new component of Tokafala, a partnership between the government, Debswana, De Beers and Anglo American, as it would ensure that the youth take their rightful position in the economy as it equips them with dealing with challenges before going into business.

Ms Baaitse said in this era, where employment was hard to come by, it was only right that the nation looked at the only available option, which was venturing into business.

She expressed satisfaction at the way the programme had been improving, especially after it was enhanced in 2018, which enabled it to enroll more youth.

She also expressed her appreciation that most of the youth engaged were females, saying that it would help close the business disparity that existed in the society.

Ms Baaitse advised the beneficiaries to explore any other available business opportunities, and assured them that Debswana was ready to walk with them in the early steps of the business.

Giving a word of encouragement, Kgosi Biki Nthomang of Lefhoko, where the training was based, applauded the youth for their commitment, and said that developing a person started with developing their mindset, and that he was positive the training did just that.

He also said that for the STRYDE programme to be a success, it was up to the beneficiaries to become success stories.

Tokafala programme director, Ms Montle Phuthego said the graduation ceremony was a chance for the beneficiaries to celebrate the milestone, as it was an achievement towards personal growth and a reward for their handwork.

She said the programme targeted unemployed youth and gave them core skills training.

“This is a three months training programme and after that, they graduate and move on to the aftercare phase that offers mentoring and coaching for five to six months,” she said.

Ms Phuthego revealed that the programme did not only assist the youth in starting businesses and preparing proposals, but also on how to formulate curriculum vitaes for job hunting and handling interview questions.

She said the next batch would start training in the next two weeks, and that recruitment was already underway and therefore pleaded with dikgosi in villages around Jwaneng to encourage youth in their villages to enroll for the programme.

Ms Phuthego also advised the beneficiaries that the graduation marked the beginning rather than the end of their business journeys and therefore they should use the skills they gained to soldier on.

The graduation also saw the inauguration of a business plan competition component where Go Green farm owned by Kabelo Nthomang of Mokhomma walked away with P10 000 reward for first position.

Position two went to Accom Business Group who walked away with P5 000, while StevMedia Production owned by Tshepo Gaotlolwe got position three and P3 000. ENDS