Youth Unemployment and the emergence of the discouraged job seeker

Young people remain particularly stricken by the global financial crisis. Currently, some 73.8 million young people are unemployed globally and the slowdown in economic activity is likely to push another half million into unemployment by 2014.

The youth unemployment rate – which had already increased to 12.6% in 2012 – is expected to increase to 12.9% by 2017. The crisis has dramatically diminished the labour market prospects for young people, and many experience long-term unemployment right from the start of their labour market entry, a situation that was never observed during previous cyclical downturns.

Currently, some 35% of all young unemployed have been out of a job for six months or longer in advanced economies. As a consequence, an increasing number of young people have become discouraged and have left the labour market. Long spells of unemployment and discouragement early on in a person’s career also damages their long-term prospects, as professional and social skills erode and valuable on-the-job experience is not built up.

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Kenya’s National Youth Summit set to kick off a new era in youth development

Kenya's National Youth Summit 2013 set to kick off from January 31st to February 1st 2013 will bring together 2,000 young leaders from across the country's 47 counties to inspire pride, patriotism and social cohesion among the young people.

According to the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, the youth aged below 35 years account for more than 70%. This is a significant cohort of the national population that can influence social, economic and political transformation. The youth are therefore critical in achieving the ambitous goals set out in the nation’s development roadmap known as Vision 2030.

With 2013 being a year for general elections, the National Youth Summit is informed by the need to rebrand and inspire young people to act as peace ambassadors who choose to take responsibility and make a difference in their communities.

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Youth and ICTs: Call for articles

ICT Update magazine is looking for articles for its forthcoming issue of March-April on Youth and ICTs.

Anyone working on agricultural or rural development projects involving young people in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, where ICTs (mobile phones, computers, GIS, email, internet, radio, TV, etc) are used to improve employment opportunities or to encourage an interest in traditional agricultural practices is encouraged to submit an article.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/ICT.htm

Strengthening Youth Entrepreneurship Support in Tanzania and Uganda - Request For Proposals

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is for a feasibility study to design appropriate youth entrepreneurship support interventions for the PPA Consortium in Tanzania and Uganda.

The study will involve:

• Analysis of Consortium partner approaches and future plans for target countries
• Analysis of youth entrepreneurship sector and key players in target countries
• Design of joint or mutually reinforcing interventions for the Consortium

The feasibility study will enable Consortium partners to determine suitable allocation of resources towards youth entrepreneurship interventions in Tanzania and/or Uganda in year two of the PPA. The project will be delivered by an external organisation or individual over 8 weeks starting January and concluding end March 2012.

The deadline for applications is: 9am Monday 5th December 2011.

Read more http://bit.ly/w1kdL4

Youth Enterprise Development Fund – Call for Expressions of Interest to Develop Strategic Plan

The Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) is a project of Vision 2030 and provides loans and other enterprise development solution services to Kenyans aged 18 to 35 years.

Over the last five years, the Youth Fund has financed over 130,000 youth enterprises and supported thousands others through its business development services and through the jobs abroad programme.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/YEDF.htm

Canada World Youth 2012 Leadership Awards

Canada World Youth (CWY) is currently seeking nominations for the 2012 Leadership Awards aimed at recognizing the excellent achievements of young Canadians and youth from around the world that are engaged in innovative initiatives promoting peace, intercultural understanding, and community and international Development. The candidates must be nominated by a third party.

CWY is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of young people that have a desire to become informed and active global citizens. CWY programs are designed to help youth experience the world for themselves, learn about other cultures and diverse Canadian communities while developing leadership and communication skills.

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September 2011 Events

September 24th 2011: The Botswana Amateur Arts Festival (BAAF)
Venue: Maitisong Gaborone starting at 08:00

The Botswana Amateur Arts Festival (BAAF) is a unique festival dedicated to providing a strong platform for young performers and generate increased exposure for the arts.
The BAAF aims to be a world class performing arts festival that is noticeable in Botswana and internationally.

This is a unique festival that awards amateur artists an opportunity to write, direct, and manage there own production and present it to fellow participants and a panel of judges. The festival also awards the participants a chance to learn from established artists and scholars of the arts in Botswana including Artists and University lectures in small group workshops. Winners in the different categories are awarded at the end, these awards include best actor, best actress, best director, best script etc.

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September 26th – 30th 2011: Tunza International Children & Youth Conference on the Environment
Venue: Bandung, Indonesia
Theme: Reshaping Our future through a Green Economy and Sustainable Lifestyle

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia will be organizing its Tunza International Children & Youth Conference on the Environment , from 26th to 30th September 2011. Read more »»

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September 26th – October 1st 2011: 4th IMC World Forum on Music
Venue: Tallinn

The IMC World Forum on Music is a global knowledge-building platform on music and society in the 21st century. During the forum a variety of topics will be explored from diverse perspectives: cultural, political and economical. The IMC World Forum on Music is considered one of IMC’s main contributions to setting the stage for the free celebration of music in the world. For more information, visit www.imc-cim.org

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September 26th – October 7th 2011: Creative Enterprise Business Skills Training
Venue: Mombasa
Time: 8.30AM – 4.30PM, Monday to Friday
Fees: Kshs. 10, 000 per person

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September 26th to October 7th 2011: Entrepreneurship Training Workshops for Dynamic Entrepreneurs (ETWs)
Venue: Eldoret, Kenya

The ETWs equip business leaders with the tools, perspectives and frameworks needed to strengthen their enterprises while engaging multiple competencies for success. Read more »»

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September 28th – 30th 2011: ICT Women Empowerment Africa Summit
Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

The theme of the second annual ICT summit will be “Recognising and Empowering Women in the ICT Sector” Key Discussion Topics will include: An overview of women, gender & ICTs in a globalised economy; Initiatives & practices aimed at attracting more women into the ICT sector; keeping talented women on the road to success within the ICT industry; Empowering women in Africa to use ICT’s for personal advancement; Empowering rural women in Africa through ICT; Male control over women’s use of ICT’s; Career progression of women in the ICT industry; The role played by support systems for women in ICT; and Positioning women as key role players in the ICT market.

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September 29th – 30th 2011: Tanzania Youth Entrepreneurship Summit
Venue: Ubungo Plaza, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

The objective of the Tanzania Youth Entrepreneurship Summit will be to create and initiate discussions about the promotion and facilitation of small and medium enterprises growth as a solution to the escalating problem of youth unemployment in the country.

Social Enterprise profile update: Youth 4 a Better Future

Youth 4 a Better Future is an environmental and social campaign that promotes market driven agriculture, enterprise development, environmental conservation and research.

When we profiled the group last year, they were engaged in various enterprises including solid waste management, bee keeping project, goat rearing and organic tomato farming. We recently caught up with the group’s founder Ole Mepukori to find what the group will be embarking on in 2011. Read our Youth 4 a Better Future profile here »»

Social Entrepreneurship Profile: Kibera Community Youth Solar Programme (KCYP)

Kibera Community Youth Programme is a community- based organization formed and run by a group of young people in the Kibera slum in Nairobi. The group have been manufacturing and selling solar torches going by the trade name Kibulight. 

We recently got the opportunity to briefly interview Elizabeth Otieno, a Programme Manager of the organisation regarding the group’s solar energy project. She told us though the group started assembling the Kibulight torches last year, the organisation has been implementing solar project for years. In fact in 2007, KCYP won a clean energy award in Switzerland for their solar technology program.

The market reception for the torches has been promising, though Elizabeth told us that at the price of Kshs. 3,500 (approximately US $44), the torches were beyond the pockets of the majority of the market. The price could be cheaper if the group was in a position to manufacture all the components themselves.

Another marketing challenge the group faces is the influx of cheap products from China that have flooded the Kenyan alternative energy market. Nevertheless, in spite of the challenges the group face, they continue to produce the solar torches for increased security as well as promoting the use of clean energy in Nairobi. 

Read the Kibera Community Youth solar programme profile on Yipe!

Erevuka Kuwa Sonko: Youth Empowerment Forum

December 2nd – 4th 2010: Invitation to Erevuka Kuwa Sonko: Youth Empowerment Forum

Venue: Kenyatta International Conference Center

Square Gold PR & Marketing is an Integrated Marketing & Communications firm that specializes in devising creative and innovative communication marketing strategies for corporate clients and institutions. In its effort to offer innovation, Square Gold is organizing a grand youth event dubbed Erevuka, Kuwa Sonko!

This is Kenya’s first interactive youth empowerment event with an aim to integrate the youth in Kenya’s economy building process through entrepreneurship. The 3-day extravaganza includes a youth exhibition, a business conference, career testing centre, ICT centre and a creative arts garage. With a fun mix of interaction, information and entertainment, this extravaganza will be the first of its kind in Kenya. The target audience for Erevuka, Kuwa Sonko! is youth aged between 18-35 years.

Square Gold invites you to interact and showcase your products with the  key target market through exhibiting the project(s) at Erevuka, Kuwa Sonko! Exhibition fee is Ksh 20,000 for three days.

Erevuka, Kuwa Sonko! gives you direct access to consumers, venture capitalist, mentors etc. It will also provide you with extensive contact points for your brand, including an online viral campaign. The projected number of visitors for this event ranges from 8,000-10,000 due to its broad appeal.

Kindly contact Margaret Waithaka Email: maggie@squaregold.co.ke Cell: 0722791351 on participation and any questions or concerns.

Check out more events on YIPE!

Secretary Clinton's Remarks At The President's Forum with Young African Leaders

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State

Loy Henderson Auditorium

Washington, DC

August 3, 2010

Thank you all so much. I am thrilled to see you. I had to come back to work to recover from my daughter’s wedding. (Laughter.) And one of the reasons I came back was because I wanted the chance to welcome each and every one of you here to the State Department, and to tell you how excited we are to be hosting this Young Leaders Forum.

Now, I know that later this afternoon, you will have the unique opportunity to go to the White House and to meet with President Obama. And I think from what you heard already today and the comments of my friend and extraordinary Assistant Secretary for Africa, Johnnie Carson, this Administration, from the top, is very committed to, concerned about Africa, and especially about Africa’s future, because we know that it is people like all of you and others who are not in this room today who will determine what Africa’s future will be.

I see Africa as a continent brimming with potential, a place that has so much just waiting to be grasped. Sixty percent of the population of Africa is under the age of 25. And that means that there’s a lot of work to be done to make sure that those young people are educated, are healthy, are motivated, are given the tools of opportunity. But it also means that Africa has not just the potential, but the promise of becoming a leader in innovation, in design, in creativity of all that you, your families, communities, and countries can become.

Now, people in this room have already started businesses. You have started NGOs, you have made films, you have helped to make peace, you have worked with at-risk youth, you have cared for people living with HIV/AIDS, you have fought to end mistreatment of some of Africa’s most vulnerable citizens. You have looked for solutions close to home. And you have seen unprecedented progress in your own lifetimes. Poverty and child mortality have declined across much of the continent. Primary school enrollment is up. Ghana, Botswana, South Africa, and others have all recently held elections that were models of freeness and fairness.

Across Africa, more citizens believe they now have the power and the duty to shape their own lives, to help their communities, to hold their governments accountable. So for all of the challenges, which we hear much about, I want to focus on these gains, because it is through this positive progress that we can motivate and incentivize even more to take place. And ultimately, it is up to you. The President and I very much believe in Africa’s promise and we can do what’s possible from afar to assist and to be front-row cheerleaders, if you will. But ultimately, it is up to you, and to citizens like you to make sure that we sustain and deepen the progress.

Every child, boy and girl, deserves to go as far as his or her God-given talents and potential and hard work will take that child. That means education is a right, not a luxury. It means that the best education must be made available to as many young people as possible. It means that every pregnant woman receives prenatal care and assistance for labor and delivery so the child that is brought into the world has a good start. It means that everyone has a safe environment – a house, a roof over one’s head, a fair wage for the work that is done, and that everyone is free to follow his or her conscience in religion and politics to express an opinion without fear of being marginalized, silenced, or worse. We believe that you have the talents, the determination and the ability to bring these dreams to fruition.

When President Obama spoke to the parliament of Ghana a year ago he said, Africa’s future is up to Africans. And he pledged then to work with Africa’s leaders and citizens as friends and partners in a spirit of mutual respect and accountability. We stand ready to be your partners.

What does partnership mean? Well, it means that we have to change the way we pursue development. We have to work harder to expand trade and we have to encourage more trade among African countries yourselves. It means we have to improve private sector competitiveness. Many of you have had the privilege of traveling. You’ve been to Europe. You’ve now been to the United States. You’ve seen the diaspora from your countries and you often see how successful they are. We want that success to be right where you live and to break down the barriers that still exist. (Applause.)

We want to help you modernize how you deliver and create clean energy, how you get more value for agriculture which is still the life blood and the source of income for most people in sub-Saharan Africa. We want to help you strengthen democratic institutions. Elections are great, but that’s only one part of democracy – free press, independent judiciary, respect for human rights and the rights of minorities, giving everybody a stake in their own society. We want to support women and girls to be full participants in their communities and countries. (Applause.) We want to redouble our global efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis, malaria. We want to respond to food scarcity and soaring food prices and growing populations with a multi-billion dollar initiative to help eradicate hunger and achieve food security. We want to join with you to fight against climate change, which will be devastating to Africa.

Meanwhile, we want to be sure that your voices are heard on the global stage. Johnnie was referring to my trips to Africa as First Lady. And I recognized then how much work there still was to be done to educate people in my own country about Africa. I held a roundtable for members of the White House Press Corps, and this was probably in – I don’t know, 1997 or ’98 – and one of the first questions that one of the reporters asked me – he said, what’s the capital of Africa? (Laughter.) I thought, oh, do I have a lot of work to do. (Laughter.) And we’ve made a lot of progress there, too – (laughter) but we have a long way to go. Because you know so well that when people think too often of Africa, they think of all the tragedies, the conflicts. We want people to see a more comprehensive picture.

This forum, along with the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, and the AGOA Forum taking place here in Washington and in Kansas City, Kansas, this week will help link African and American leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, investors, and especially young people. And we are inviting you to take advantage of that. We designed this forum not to be a one-time event; we want to create the connections that you will continue to exploit, to think about how you can tap into whatever help and skills, references and ideas that you can get from us.

We want you to take advantage of this when you go home, when you return, and maybe begin to think anew about how you can be more effective. And your generation of young Africans has already pioneered information technologies. You are connecting and empowering people in ways that we couldn’t have dreamed of even five, let alone ten years ago. For example, Ushahidi crisis management platform has become a digital tool for social change all over the world.

Ushahidi was developed by young Kenyans to map reports of violence after the election of 2007. And a lot of the young Kenyans we invited were unable to come because they’re staying to vote and to work on behalf of the constitution that will be voted on very soon. This new network has been used by citizen election monitors to help prevent fraud and violence in Burundi, India, Sudan, Guinea, Namibia. It’s revolutionizing and empowering what citizens can do without permission, just on their own. We have seen the way that sophisticated mobile communications tools have also been used in Kenya to educate and empower voters in the lead-up to the referendum on its new constitution tomorrow.

Good ideas leapfrog languages and borders. Technology created and deployed first in Africa was used by U.S. Marines in Haiti to help rescue earthquake victims, and by a Louisiana environmental group tracking efforts to clean up the Gulf oil spill We are working hard to convey that our relationship with Africa is not a one-way street. We expect to benefit. We expect to learn. We expect to look to you for models and ideas of what we can do better ourselves.

So to ensure that new technologies are used more for good – and not for ill – we have promised to work with partners in industry, academia, and NGOs to try to harness the power of connection technologies to help you spur economic, political, and social progress.

The United States has now joined with three local partners to sponsor a contest called “Apps-4-Africa” – A-p-p-s dash 4, the number, dash Africa. Software developers in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania have proposed applications for everything from educational games for mobile phones, to interactive maps that can track shortages of blood or medicines, to a mass texting app that could broadcast emergency information to rural villages. The winning apps will be announced in September. And we hope to catalyze these collaborations between technical experts and leaders of civil society to develop practical solutions that will improve people’s lives.

This concept of leapfrogging holds such great promise for Africa. You already have. You didn’t have to put up telephone poles, you went right to cell phones in many parts of Africa. Your electric grid doesn’t have to be massive. It can be local and regional and provide sources of energy from wind and solar as well as fossil fuels. We stand ready to help in any way we can.

I often say that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. Africa has no shortage of ideas, innovations, or entrepreneurial drive. We want this conference to be a start, where we work with you to help you create the conditions in which your ideas can be translated into real-life solutions for Africa and beyond.

I know you’ve been going to workshops and you’ve been talking to one another, and we will maintain a kind of nerve center after this forum to stay in touch with you, to provide assistance if you request it, to connect you up with other people. It’s part of how we’re trying to redefine diplomacy, development, and statecraft in the 21st century. We recently held an entrepreneurship summit in Washington where we invited young business people from predominantly Muslim-majority countries that are lagging way behind in unleashing the entrepreneurial potential of their people. And I think people came in part because they got a free trip to Washington, but also they were curious, wondering kind of what we were up to. But what we were up to was trying to empower them as we now are trying to empower you.

We’re looking for leaders who know that empowering citizens is something that is in everyone’s best interests. The world in which we live in today – top-down hierarchical power – is not sustainable. Oh, it can stay in place for years, but eventually, it is not sustainable. There are just too many ways people are going to get too much information. And technology is going to blow the doors down on governments.

One of my hopes is that we can move toward e-government in Africa, so that you can get more quickly whatever documents you need to start that business, or to register that car, and you don’t have to go through a lot of hands to do it. We’re looking for those kinds of ideas and we want to help you bring them to fruition and then take them to scale.

I’m very excited about what’s possible with your generation in Africa. But you know as well as I that you’re here in part because you’ve already succeeded. And many of you would have the option to go nearly anywhere in the world to pursue your dreams. But you’re here because you care about the future of your families, your communities, your countries. And I urge you to stay with it. Change is not easy. And for many who try it, it can become very frustrating and even discouraging. But it is so worthy an effort, commensurate with your talents and your dedication.

You are educated beyond the average education of most of the people that you know or that you can watch as you drive down the road. You’re here because you had the opportunities and you took them. What we want to help you do is to set forth your vision and then realize it. Because it will not be just for you – although I hope every one of you becomes successful in whatever enterprise you choose to pursue – but it will help to open doors and not go over obstacles, so that people will look at you, especially people younger than you, and believe that they too have a chance for a different future.

Godspeed as you go out from this forum back to your homes, I hope, energized and knowing that no matter how hard it is, you have friends and partners who are rooting for your success.

Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/08/145623.htm

United Nations calls for urgent action to tackle rising youth unemployment

14 July 2010 – The United Nations labour agency is calling for urgent action to tackle the crisis of youth unemployment, which has increased significantly in the wake of the global economic slowdown and has repercussions for the economy as well as social cohesion.

Young people – those aged 15 to 24 – account for over 22 per cent of the increase in the number of unemployed since the beginning of 2007 and is now nearly three times the average level among adults aged 25 and over, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

“In nearly all countries, the increase in youth unemployment has outpaced that of adults,” the agency says in a new report entitled “Youth employment in crisis.”

Since the start of the crisis, the youth unemployment rate has risen over 7 percentage points – the sharpest two year increase on record – and now exceeds 21 per cent on average in the countries for which data are available, say Steven Tobin, ILO economist, and Raymond Torres, Director of the International Institute for Labour Studies, who are co-authors of the report.

The report points out that young people are entering the labour market at a time of limited job creation. Employed young people are also often engaged in precarious jobs, and are therefore more vulnerable to job losses than their adult counterparts.

Young people who lack general or vocational education are especially vulnerable to the crisis, it notes, adding that as job prospects remain weak, many young people might see little benefit of furthering education or training which would have negative socio-economic consequences.

In addition, the lack of decent work opportunities in developing countries had led to significant emigration by many skilled young people.

The authors stress that it is crucial to promote more and better jobs for youth and urges immediate action, noting that impact of long-term unemployment on youth can be “devastating and long-lasting.”

The longer young persons remain out of touch with the labour market, the more difficult – and costly – it is to return to productive employment, they state.

“There are also a number of important social implications related to exclusion, including susceptibility to anti-social behaviour, including juvenile delinquency, and social unrest,” they add.

According to the report, it will not be possible to improve youth employment prospects significantly in the absence of a global economic and labour market recovery. Therefore, it is crucial to carry out the Global Jobs Pact, adopted by ILO members in June 2009 in an effort to guide national and international policies to stimulate economic recovery, create jobs and protect working people and their families.

Source: UN News Service

Call For Papers: 2010 National Youth Conversation Conference on Peace, Reforms and Youth Economic Empowerment, 12th-16th Oct 2010

Kenya Youth Parliament, the organizers of the 2010 National Youth Conversation; Conference on Peace, Reforms & Youth Economic Empowerment in Nairobi, Kenya from Oct 12th to 16th, 2010 invites you to participate in the oncoming largest gathering that brings together social activists, peace builders and  youth leaders in the pursuit and defining of a Better Kenya.

This conference brings together only four (4) participants from every constituency as a ‘Call to Action’ to assist young people ‘learn’ and ‘understand’ their roles in Building a Peaceful Kenya and provide them with tools, information and ideas of participating and influencing the Reforms Agenda at the grassroots levels.

This will be achieved through the design of Individual Action Plans (IAP’s) to be implemented at grassroots level and coordinated Constituency Actions Plans (CCAP’s) to be coordinated by Kenya Youth Parliament and its partners.

This conference is a follow-up of activities being ran under the aegis of the Youth Platform for Change “YP4C” namely the National Youth Conversation Café’s in the grassroots areas, the Koffi Annan Justice and Peace National Tournament Coordinated by  Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) and Sports Connect Academy (SCA) , and a play which has been specifically scripted to capture the issues in the proposed constitution as well as the events during and after the post-election, radio drama and stage play to be staged at different venues of the country by Artists Forum International (AFI).

To learn much more about Youth Platform for Change (YP4C) and its partners, write to info@kenyayouthparliament.org, copa@copafrica.org and safer. Nairobi@gmail.com

East African entrepreneurs need a level playing field in the new Common Market

The regional integration of the East Africa community is finally here. With the promise of trade barriers falling, for East African entrepreneurs this bodes well in a common market of 130 million people.

After the collapse of the East African Community in 1977 due to political wrangling, there is a renewed sense of hope of expanded trade in a wider market. So far the revamped East African Community has set about the arduous task of harmonizing regulations to take into account the need to boost cross-border business and investment.

The Doing Business in East Africa 2010 report however indicates significant issues  concerning the capacity of the member-state entrepreneurs to compete on a level playing field with each other. Despite the efforts at harmonizing laws pertaining to business and coalescing tax policies, internal barriers to enterprise will affect the number of entrepreneurs competing on the common market.

For instance the ease of venturing into enterprise is easiest in Rwanda with 2 procedures and a registered business in 3 days. Compare this with Kenya and Tanzania with 12 procedures and the business registered in 34 and 29 days respectively.

Then there is the crippling cost of starting a business where in Burundi the cost is 151.6% of income per capita in comparison with Kenya or Tanzania where the cost is 37%. And even though Kenya leads in facilitating licensing with 11 procedures for the entire region, the process is still time consuming. It takes 120 days Kenya and 143 in Uganda compared with the rest of member states where the process of procuring business licenses takes well over 200 days.

It is hoped the streamlining of tax revenue collection will facilitate cross-border enterprise. However the problem of enforcing contracts continues to act as a barrier to profitable trade. Where in Rwanda it takes 260 days to resolve contractual disagreements; in Burundi the process takes a whopping 832 days! Thus there still remains a lot to be done so that all East African entrepreneurs can truly benefit from the Common Market.

Read the Doing Business East Africa 2010 report here

Nairobi's traffic is not good for business

Today all radio stations are warning Nairobi commuters about the traffic. It began yesterday with the imminent arrival of Barack Obama's number two Joe Biden. Add to that today he is meeting President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga while Parliament opens a new session - meaning everyone is texting each other "avoid town"!.

Then there is the massive road works project being undertaken throughout the country with the promise of making Kenya a super highway for domestic and cross-border trade. With the liberalisation of the market that has spawned a new generation of car dealer entrepreneurs whose used car imports cannot quench the market; this should have been the dream Kenya's Vision 2030 policy plan speaks of.

Alas that is not the case. Traffic jams have become the stock in trade. And the problem is not that one has to leave home before the crack of dawn just to get to work on time; but there is also the environmental problem with sub-standard cars jamming the streets spewing fumes to the detriment of the ozone layer. 

Before the cry of Nairobi motorists was "those matatu drivers!". However today, even though matatu's still drive helter skelter, traffic jams still clog the streets.

Though it is commendable that the road work projects have the overall goal of reducing transport costs within Nairobi; for entrepreneurs the costs of being not just located in the Central Business District but now further afield in locales such as Westlands and Kilimani has meant that human traffic walk-in enterprises have had to readress their business models. 

For the rest of us, we wonder what time we will get home today and what time tomorrow we have to wake up in order to get to work on time. 

Entrepreneur Profile: Sospeter Amenya

Sospeter Amenya of BenCro Transition Designs is a Kenyan social entrepreneur whose work mainly involves designing websites and developing custom software to help in various aspects that are aimed at creating more opportunities for the impoverished society. 

We recently got a chance to interview him regarding the importance of determination to venture into enterprise as well as his future aspirations. 

Here is a snippet of the interview:

Yipe: When and why did you decide to be an entrepreneur?

Sospeter: After doing my IT course at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture, (JKUAT) I started my business soon after graduating in 2008. I had to tarmac (look for a job) for a considerable time before I made a decision to start a business. I also wanted to get start up capital for my business. 

I didn’t get a job though. So the idea of joblessness hit me hard and I started thinking of other means. I decided to put my skills in practice and I joined hands with my friend and started a freelancing webdesign business working from the briefcase. It was not registered though.

In the process of searching for clients, we bumped into one corporate client, an NGO that paid us Ksh 20,000. We used the cash as our starting capital to buy a desktop. And this is how we started. The business is now registered and almost 1yr old.

So the sole reason for starting is unemployment and the urge to create opportunities in future.

Yipe: What has been your learning experience in your business venture?
Sospeter: One failure makes me sharper to cut through the next and the end result is always success.

Yipe: What’s the most challenging aspect of being an entrepreneur from your perspective?
Sospeter: The challenge is lack of understanding from the people you must work with, particularly some clients. Secondly is accessing finance and the long process of business registration. Make it online would encourage others to start their businesses.

Read the rest of the interview here »»

Invitation to Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

Seed Capital Investment Ltd  has been established to offer support to young people, businesses and to entrepreneurs in Kenya. It's focus in Kenya is to offer an avenue where those who are in business or aspire to be in business can access information; advice and support that can assist them succeed. 

All projects and programs are facilitated by company directors who are entrepreneurs and managing their own businesses bringing in a wealth of practical experience in business startup and management.

As part of its objectives in supporting entrepreneurs in starting up and fine tuning their businesses, Seed Capital have organized a workshop to address the issue of acquiring funds and starting small and medium enterprises in Kenya under its Youth In Business Program. 

The workshop is on 5th and 6th May, 2010 at the company offices off Ngong road, behind Coptic Hospital.

After the workshop, participants will document their ideas and present them live to a panel of prominent investors for possible funding after which they will receive ongoing business guidance and mentorship until they have formed successful companies which will create employment to other youth.

For further information, please contact:

Rhoda Mwihaki,
Coordinator,
Youth in Business Program,
Seed Capital Investment Ltd.
1 Kindaruma Lane, off Ngong Road,
P.O. Box 4720, 00200
Nairobi Kenya
Tel 020 807 1309, 0710 492836, 0731 535018

www.seedcapitalinvestment.com

Profile: HALCHA Youth & Community Development organization

HALCHA Youth and Community Development organization is based in Garbatulla, a small town in northern Kenya where the populace are faced with poor living standards, low literacy levels, unemployment, unpredictable weather patterns that adversely impact on food security.

The group was started as a self-help group in 2006 and officially upgraded to a community based organisation in March 2007. The objectives at formation were:

• To improve the socio-economic status of the youth and wider community
• Capacity building and mentorship development.
• The promotion of environmental and wildlife conservation, and
• HIV/AIDS Advocacy.

The organization is not only committed to improving the living standards of the local community but also actively promotes the status of women in decision making by building confidence and raising self esteem so they can fully participate in their own affairs and make informed decisions.

Amongst it's development activities, HALCHA trains members in dressmaking and tailoring to promote self employment. The organization also emphasizes the preservation of local artisan culture.

HALCHA, which has 40 affiliate youth group members throughout the Garbatulla District has partnered with the Kenya Women’s Finance Trust Maua unit to reach more than 200 women, out of which 60 member beneficiaries have received loans. Another project in partnership with Kenya's Ministry of Youth Affairs has benefited more than 2,000 youth with capacity building and mentorship development, enabling 34 youth groups in the district to receive funding.

These milestones have been achieved in spite of the challenges the organization faces. These include financial constraints as well as the lack of working tools such as sewing machines for the tailoring project. Transport and logistic problems also affect the organization based in a remote rural area.

However HALCHA has the manpower and willingness to promote development and continues undaunted in it’s bid to help in the alleviate of poverty amongst the youth and wider population of Garbatulla District.

HALCHA Youth And Community Development (CBO)

Garbatulla District

Email: sirajroka@yahoo.com

P.O BOX 1 – 60300 Garbatulla

Telephone : 254 020 8015687 /0724700862

Source: Report by Ade Roga Hassan, Peacebuilding Mentor, Garbatulla District.

Youth 4 A Better Future: Say Little, Work Hard and Be Young Forever!

Youth 4 a Better Future Campaign is an ongoing environmental and social campaign that promotes market driven agriculture, enterprise development, environmental conservation and research.

It is an initiative of Maa Community Foundation, Health Awareness Peer Education Programme (HAPEP), IMPACT Kenya Youth Initiative, Tabaiki Sports Association, KEYFORD and STOMAZ.

Its main objective is to raise awareness on environmental, health, sports and entrepreneurship development.

Currently the project has a very successful solid waste management enterprise in Narok town, a bee keeping project, a digital village centre, a goat project, an organic tomato farm project, a tree nurseries project, a micro finance and woodlot project. The target is 100 of such enterprises by November 2010, and by 2013 the founder Ole Mepukori projects that there will be 500 successful social enterprises across Kenya.

Yipe.org recently got the chance to chat with Ole Mepukori who said that he started in 2008, but opened doors to his friends who brought in their friends and so it went.

Right now the project has youth groups from really remote areas selling their goats at a profit to markets as far as Mombasa. “Yes” Ole Mepukori told Yipe, “we want all Kenyan youth to come join us and in ten years we will all look back and say, ‘we helped build Kenya’".

Ole Mepukori adds that the project is not only limited to young people, as he believes everybody has something to offer for the advancement of this cause, and even if that person is an eighty year old granny they can also play a vital role.

He concludes “Lets believe, say little, work hard and Be Young Forever!”

If you are interested in being a Youth 4 a Better Future join the community here >>>>

African youth declare that governments must foster entrepreneurship to eradicate poverty

The 1st World Youth Meeting at Bari, Italy ended yesterday where African delegates released a Declaration that recognised the challenges African youth face including unemployment, corruption,  poverty, lack of access to meaningful education, climate change effects, and civil wars among others.

The Declaration further demanded that African youth be included in decision making and that poverty eradication approaches focus on entrepreneurship development, specifically through the creation of youth funds.

Read the Declaration here