SADC Youth Unemployment Project
Promoting entrepreneurship is a difficult and multi-faceted issue, as there is no “one best way” to foster opportunity identification and exploitation as well as the successful establishment of a company. Economic, political as well as socio-cultural conditions determine entrepreneurial activities and thus policymakers need to tailor their socio-economic programs to the development context of their country or region. As part of the UN Millennium Development Goals both poverty and unemployment are to be significantly reduced by 2015. Entrepreneurship has proven to be a successful strategy to tackle both of these issues at the same time while creating prosperity and economic well being of a country.
(Source: CIA World Factbook: World unemployment rates 2007)
In the proposed project we intend to improve local conditions for entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe and South Africa through a variety of activities:
We believe that our project will have a significant impact not only on the success of the African entrepreneurs benefiting from our mentoring program, but also on the entrepreneurial spirit, the cultural attitudes towards entrepreneurship as well as the governmental programs. The overall goal is to reduce unemployment rates and improve the quality of life.
(Source: CIA World Factbook: World unemployment rates 2007)
In the proposed project we intend to improve local conditions for entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe and South Africa through a variety of activities:
- we intend to create a mentoring program to connect young African entrepreneurs with successful European entrepreneurs to exchange knowledge and insights about launching and growing a business;
- we will share our practical and theoretical entrepreneurial knowledge as part of a series of entrepreneurial education talks at universities and the SADC Youth Forum in Harare;
- we will organize workshops with entrepreneurs, policymakers, academics and other decision-makers to discuss local governmental and entrepreneurial framework conditions and create a model with suggestions for governments, universities, and other organizations to foster entrepreneurship.
We believe that our project will have a significant impact not only on the success of the African entrepreneurs benefiting from our mentoring program, but also on the entrepreneurial spirit, the cultural attitudes towards entrepreneurship as well as the governmental programs. The overall goal is to reduce unemployment rates and improve the quality of life.
Project Partners
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a Zimbabwean based non-profit organization working towards filling a void in youth engagement and advocacy that has for so long been left unaddressed. CIYDA works as an information hub and advocacy organization on youth development related issues within its four pillar structure namely, Business Start-up; Social & Cultural Integration; Youth Mentorship and Youth Volunteering. As part of its direct engagement efforts with youths and seeking synergies to its main activities, CIYDA also seeks to work with various partners in initiating youth developmental projects.
