It kills when hidden under the rock. However, a shared problem is half solved. No one can deny the power that lies in the dialogue. In the Burundian tradition and culture, dialogue and networking have played a significant role in the peace agreement, peace-building, and have contributed to economic growth. Through inclusive dialogue, the person sitting next to you may be the solution you are looking for to solve your problem. And they have proven it more profitable when it is a dialogue between a mentor and a mentee.
We cannot forget that young entrepreneurs encounter a set of setbacks, challenges, and other hindrances when beginning the implementation of their innovative solutions or startups. Fortunately, dialogue and networking sessions have brought positive results.
In this framework, From February 2021 to May 2021, the Association of Mentors for business and Entrepreneurship (AMEBE) implemented the project titled “TUYAGE” under the financial support from Search for Common Ground in Cankuzo Province.
Search for Common Ground designed the project to promote dialogue and networking among young entrepreneurs across the country to help them understand challenges they are encountering and identify and seize opportunities that are available to meet setbacks they are hitting in their local areas.
Through different sessions, participants benefited from entrepreneurial spirit, the power of teamwork, or synergy. They gained skills in designing a well-detailed and clear business plan that attracts investors and other stakeholders. They ended up creating a provincial group of solidarity through which they will exchange ideas on business and other social innovation solutions.
Under the leadership of AMEBE representatives’ members, the afore-mentioned project “TUYAGE” was implemented in three communes of Cankuzo province such as Kigamba, Cankuzo, and Gisagara.
“Tuyage” project encompasses many interesting themes such as human capital, identifying funding opportunities, marketing strategies, and styles, designing a business plan worthy to be funded.
They gave different beneficiaries from different communes a specific topic depending on the identified need in that locality.
They recommended all young entrepreneurs energize through competencies transfer to increase their productivity. Market research before staking any business venture. And fetch knowledge from experience in terms of production. The government must put in place financial institutions for youth capacity building.
Cankuzo Commune
They facilitated project beneficiaries from Cankuzo Commune on two themes, such as infrastructure and the market. They minded nothing kills a business venture t
han a dead inventory. Therefore, the facilitator emphasized markets styles and strategies to find, penetrate and dominate the market for increasing their sales. When sales increased, profitability follows. On the second theme, they identified existing infrastructures in their local areas and how to profit from them as well.
Kigamba commune
In this commune, two themes as well scheduled for participants. The first one was about Human capital, which remains irreplaceable in any business endeavor. They identified different human capital including themselves because they are the sources of all innovations and solutions to overcome all the existing challenges. They explored their facilitated participants’ talents, once triggered, can create wealth for them. The second theme was the follow-up or the coaching. Through this theme, they identified existing opportunities that can make them great entrepreneurs.
Gisagara Commune.
One of the fundamental challenges that young entrepreneurs encounter when running their business ventures remains access to funds. In the Gisagara Commune, they facilitated participants on how to identify funding opportunities for themselves, particularly in Gisagara Commune. And how to grab them for their startups.
On the second theme, which is governance, they opened participants’ minds to identify their role in good governance and how to stand as leaders in contributing toward enhancing good governance through their affiliated associations. Beyond that, they discovered different governance.
All the sessions of the project “TUYAGE” ended with a provincial session combining selected outperforming participants from three communes. Eight participants represented each commune. The chosen theme for the provincial session was culture.
As general recommendations, they encouraged young entrepreneurs to shift their paradigm in terms of cultural behavior, which holds them back in terms of sustainable development.
Besides, they encouraged and reminded that having a clear, detailed business remains the key to grabbing funding opportunities. Banques des Investissement des Jeunes Entrepreneurs. (BIJE) mentioned as one organ put in place as a financial institution for young entrepreneurs. They recommended the government to put in place financial institutions and other centers for capacity building and fully equip young entrepreneurs in terms of entrepreneurial skills and leadership for building sustainable business entities.
Other stakeholders, such as technical and financial partners, must significantly contribute to equipping the youth with relevant and practical skills to create, innovate and implement sustainable solutions to overcome the most pressing challenges the world faces now.
One of the expected results with immediate effect was the elaboration of a detailed and clear business plan.
The project “TUYAGE” took three months to implement and left all the participants with business plans worthy of being funded.
AMEBE is grateful for the successful partnership with Search for Common Ground.
By Avit NDAYIZIGA.
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