This was echoed this week when the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat in partnership with the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) and the University of Botswana hosted a two-day Dialogue on how institutions in the entrepreneurship ecosystem across Africa can help young people.
Chief Strategy Officer at CEDA Thato Jenson said that CEDA had revised its guidelines to enable youth to access funding. They have also reduced the interest rates, the need for security and collateral, and included sectors that are more likely to appeal to young people.
These include the creative industry, technology innovation sector, tourism, mining, and agriculture sectors. Jenso said that CEDA has in the past three years funded 4 327 youth enterprises to the tune of over P166 million.
Chief Director responsible for youth affairs in the Office of the President, South Africa, Dr. Bernice Hlanga, noted that while African countries often have well-articulated policies, most of the time they do not translate into implementation.
She said youth unemployment is a challenge that has a ripple effect on the person who is unemployed, adding that higher learning and training institutions should strive to produce industry-ready graduates.
Romakira Gonthier, a 23-year-old entrepreneur from Seychelles found the summit helpful. She said it is high time that young people are allowed to freely share ideas and experiences, rather than allocating most of the time to speakers who often cannot relate.
Tumelo Mapila who runs a tech company locally, says his greatest desire is for students at lower levels like high school to be taught more about entrepreneurship in order to inspire interest at the grassroots level.
The Youth Dialogue is the second in a series of dialogues to be held throughout the SADC region which from a sustainability and impact perspective, will in the form of a report, provide consolidated recommendations on relevant approaches and solutions to the challenges faced by the youth.
The recommendations will be submitted to the SADC Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi for further action. The Dialogue was held under the theme, ‘Youth Employment Through Employment and Entrepreneurship Development in SADC.’
