17 Nov 2021

The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC), in collaboration with Botswana University of Science and Technology (BIUST) on Monday conducted a training workshop for Youth Development Fund (YDF) beneficiaries.

The aim of the training workshop, which was held in Palapye, was to close gaps identified during monitoring visits.

MYSC Principal Programmes Officer, Mr Mpilo Mbo said the training was part of the MYSC/BIUST partnership, which commenced on 2018.

He revealed that 102 YDF beneficiaries benefitted from the partnership, where BIUST offered entrepreneurship training, adding that this was the fourth workshop since 2018.

Mr Mbo explained that BIUST assisted the beneficiaries with skills as part as the university’s role in the community, besides providing education.

Head of BIUST’s Business Department, Dr Dawn Lyken-Segosebe said the YDF beneficiaries experienced challenges such as declining sales due to lockdown and movement restrictions.

Dr Lyken-Segosebe encouraged the beneficiaries to use strategies such as to putting their health and safety first, shifting focus where possible, developing new offerings, managing cash inflow or offering new payment terms, reviewing business insurance and pivoting to digital solutions to sustain their businesses.

A Department of Business, Management and Entrepreneurship lecturer, Dr Mapeto Bomani encouraged the sponsored youth to grow their businesses to create employment and income for the development of the country. 

“If you are unfaithful to your business, know that you are unfaithful to BIUST, MYSC and the nation at large,” he warned.

Dr Bomanitold participants that the roles of the entrepreneur were to provide scope for project activities, identify needed resources, negotiate with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders.

The role, he stated, also included keeping the vision clear and the work on track, ensuring everyone on the team contributed and benefited, coordinating activities, mediating conflicts as well as to make sure project goals were delivered on time and on budget.

He said the entrepreneur should have communication, negotiating, time management, leadership, training, presentation, team building, financial and risk management, coping, budgeting skills, as well as being able to delegate tasks and be customer focused.

Dr Bomani further encouraged YDF beneficiaries to use the skills and all the information from the workshop to improve their businesses to create jobs and for their survival. ENDS