Lewanika calls for support to young
entrepreneurs
By Darious Kapembwa in Kitwe
Thu 02 Sep. 2010, 14:40 CAT
ZAMBIA'S Ambassador to Belgium Dr Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika
has said there is need to support young entrepreneurs
with untapped but vital potential to contribute to economic
development.
During
the business awards ceremony on Wednesday night in Kitwe
where YAPYA Youth Investment Trust Zambia disbursed K8
billion to 17 youth entrepreneurs on the Copperbelt, Dr
Lewanika said young people were a productive and progressive
force in addressing the pressing challenges of economic
development.
Dr Lewanika, who is also YAPYA Youth Investment Trust
Zambia board chairperson, said her organisation believed
that young people had the answers not only for today but
also the vision for the future.
“Young people should not be objects of answers
to be provided for by others today for some mythical tomorrow
that never comes, as YAPYA we believe that the sooner
we recognize this challenge, the quicker the development
path will be laid because YAPYA Youth Investment Trust
Zambia believes that young people can drive the nation
forward through their innovativeness in managing their
businesses,” said Dr Lewanika.
“It in this spirit and reason that the organization
is promoting large scale investment in young people to
accord them opportunities to engage in employment and
wealth generating enterprises and during my tenure and
service as Ambassador to the USA, none of my contributions
and none of the secured assistance has given me greater
pride and pleasure than this and I hope to continue to
seek support for youths as Ambassador to Brussels where
I am also accredited to European Union , Netherlands and
Luxembourg.”
And YAPYA chief executive officer Likando Mukumbuta said
some of the objectives of the organization were to create
employment opportunities for young people by providing
enterprise development support, industrial intermediation
and technical and vocational training.
Mukumbuta said the organization was established in 2007
and had an important goal of transforming young people
into a driving force to reach the country’s vision
of becoming a middle income nation.
Some of the financiers of YAPYA include Friends of Zambia,
Imagine Nations Group, the African Development Foundation
and the Nike Foundation, all based in the USA.
YAPYA's
first tranche of K8 billion to youth group businesses
click here
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