03 Dec 2020

 Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) chief executive officer, Mr Thabo Thamane has encouraged young people to be at the centre of COVID-19 recovery plan initiatives.

Speaking on December 2  during the 2020 Virtual Entrepreneurship Studio, which is part of the Diamond Impact Week, Mr Thamane said the country looked up to its young people to play an active role in the economic recovery plan. 

He said the youth were not only on the frontlines as health workers, but they were also advancing health and safety in their roles as researchers, activists, innovators, and communicators. 

Therefore, he said they should utilise virtual platforms to interact and share challenges as well as ideas of how to ride the COVID-19 storm as well as use the platform to expand their footprint in the local, regional and international business space. 

“It is only through solidarity as the business community that you can survive this pandemic and come out stronger than before,” he said. 

 Furthermore, he commended the De Beers Group for its leadership role in supporting entrepreneurs, both in Botswana and regionally. 

“I have been informed that over 150 attendees today are cohorts of the Stanford Go To Market (GTM) programme, a collaboration between the De Beers Group and the Stanford Business School, targeting youth owned companies in Botswana,” he said.

Mr Thamane further stated that under the same partnership, the Stanford Seed programme, continued to elevate local companies to demonstrate that Batswana businesses belonged in global markets and had what it takes to deliver at that level and stay there. 

“We must celebrate platforms like these, and most importantly, be inspired by the opportunities they create, and yearn to reach those levels ourselves,” he stated. ends