National youth business plan competition receives financial boost By vpps Mar 30, 2007, 14:50
NAIROBI,Friday-Vice President Moody Awori today received Ksh. 58million from various companies towards the National Youth Business Plan Competition.
The cheques were presented to the Vice President at his Jogoo House office, Nairobi by the Kenya Pipeline Company, who gave Ksh. 50million, Lenovo Ksh. 7million while Kenya Commercial Bank gave Ksh. 1million.
The Business Plan Competition which will be launched on 12th April 2007 aims at empowering the youth to venture into viable business enterprises to generate income.
The competition dubbed ‘Believe Begin Become Programme’ under the Ministry of Youth Affairs through TechnoServe aims at building strong small medium enterprise sector amongst the youth by identifying entrepreneurs, building their skills and supporting them in creating employment in the informal sector.
Receiving the cheques, the Vice President said that the companies quest of empowering the youth to venture into viable businesses was in line with the government’s policy of creating employment and fighting illiteracy, disease and poverty which made the country lag behind in development.
Mr. Awori said the youth who comprise 73 percent of the country’s population should be encouraged to venture into the informal sector due to scarcity of white collar jobs.
He noted that the government had created the Youth Ministry and set aside Ksh. 1billion Youth Fund to enable the youth graduands from schools, colleges and universities undertake viable projects.
Mr. Awori said due to computerization, most companies were not employing and encouraged the youth to embrace the informal sector.
The Vice President urged the youth to take the programme seriously and come up with good competitive business proposals that could be moulded and make them compete effectively in both local and international markets.
Mr. Awori noted that since the government under President Mwai Kibaki came into power it has managed to eradicate illiteracy and improve health facilities and assured Kenyans that it will continue creating wealth and alleviate poverty amongst Kenyans.
The Youth Affairs Minister, Dr. Mohammed Kuti, cited unemployment as one of the biggest challenges facing the youth in the country, saying that the ministry in collaboration with Techno Serve Kenya had designed the competition to address the issue.
Dr. Kuti said the competition is designed to stimulate and celebrate entrepreneurship, provide inspiration and support to individual young entrepreneurs in setting up their businesses.
He said the programme requires financial and logistical support from both the public and private sector and commended the sponsors for their good gesture.
The Minister said the competition will seek applications from young entrepreneurs aged between 18 to 35 years countrywide with special emphasis among disadvantaged communities in the rural areas.
Dr. Kuti disclosed that the competition is expected to attract over 10,000 applicants, out of which 300 entrepreneurs will be selected to receive intensive training in developing their own businesses.
Present at the function were Permanent Secretary Youth Affairs, Mr. Kinuthia Murugu, Chairman Pipeline Board, Amb. Mwanyengala Ngali, Director KCB, Sue Omanga, Country Director TechnoServe Kenya, Mr. Fred Ogana and Lenovo Regional Manager East Africa, Mr. Dan Kazungu among others.
