07 Jul 2021

It is imperative for the youth to learn entrepreneurial skills in order to survive the business world.

Headman of records, Mr Robert Mangope, said this at a youth entrepreneurship accelerator programme in Manyana in the Southern District on Monday.

Mr Mangope also urged the youth to utilise government initiatives and programmes to better their lives.

He said young people were susceptible to hardships, hence thanking government for going all out to improve livelihoods.

Mr Mangope pointed out that he had consulted the village structures to assist with work places for the youth.

He said the programme offered an opportunity for cross pollination of ideas, for them to reach their full potential, adding that the village leadership was willing to assist the youth to realise their dreams.

Mr Mangope expressed wish that the youth could own land and big companies by 2036, therefore,they could take the country to another economic level. He challenged the youth to explore value chains to improve their livelihood.

Mr Kagiso Habangana, a youth entrepreneurship accelerator programme facilitator told BOPA that they aimed at empowering the youth to make successful proposals to Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC).

The ministry, he said, had been complaining of the poor quality of proposals received from the youth and was optimistic that after training them, they would be knowledgeable on how to complete application forms.

Mr Habangana said the youth should understand their target market to appreciate the quality of products needed to attract customers.

Businesses, he said, needed to position themselves in a unique way to breakthrough into the market, adding that called for creativity.

He also spoke of pricing as an important component in business, stating that overpricing commodities might derail potential customers from buying the commodity.

Pricing should tally with the quality of a product; he said noting that it should cover costs of production. He also spoke about necessities in doing business.

He cited electricity, telecommunications and water source for projects as some of the business necessities.

 

Road infrastructure and Information communication technologies (ICTs) were critical in production zones to communicate and ease access to the market. ENDS