15 Sep 2020

Young people in the Moshupa/Manyana constituency have been called on to seize the opportunity presented by the on-going Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme(YEAP) in their area.

Speaking during a one-day entrepreneurship training at Diratsame Junior School in Moshupa, Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Mr Karabo Gare said he had always wished to empower the youth with business skills before he joined politics.

He said YEAP offered young people an opportunity to transform their lives through business.

He said some aftermaths of the coronavirus like shortage of some food items made bare the reality that the nation was not self-sufficient in food production.

Mr Gare, who is also area MP explained that some gaps in supply of imports challenged young minds to think hard and come up with innovative ideas to turn things around and feed the nation.

He shared that about P7.45 billion worth of food was imported every year.

To this end, he advised participants to take advantage of the available citizen empowerment programmes like CEDA, Youth Development Fund, ISPAAD, LIMID among others.

The workshop facilitator Mr Kagiso Habangana advised young people to persevere.

He shared a personal story that despite the challenges he experienced with the project he started in 2016, he remained resolute. He told participants that challenges were inherently part of business and advised them to believe in themselves and never to take no for an answer in pursuit of business.

A participant Mr Kenneth Gaeboe said the training gave him the conviction to go on and start a dairy project. He said he had always wanted to do business but had no idea what to do to start.

Final year student of business entrepreurship Ms Opelo Tsalaile said she was fired up to venture into business soon after completing her studies rather than to wait for employment. Another youth Ms Lesego Tsalaile said her main take-away from the workshop was how to persevere rather than leaving her business to collapse in hard times.

Ms Tsalaile who runs a self-sponsored poultry business also learnt that pricing, presentation and marketing of her products were critical factors that could make or break business. ENDS