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Fungai Lupande Mashonaland Central Bureau
Over 100 youths recently attended an entrepreneurship programme sponsored by CBZ Holdings in partnership with Zimpapers’ Star FM radio aimed at reducing unemployment through assisting the youths to start businesses.

Empowered Life Trust director Mr Jonah Mungoshi said the objective of the programme was to train youths on growth-oriented businesses that create opportunities for others.

About 3 000 youths had been trained and 414 businesses established, he said.

“This is a nationwide programme that seeks to develop growth-oriented young entrepreneurs,” he said. “It is open to youths between 18 and 35 years old. It is sponsored by CBZ Holdings and implemented by Empowered Life Trust.

“The programme was started in 2016 by me and Shingirai Chitsike in partnership with Star FM to complement the programme called Shot in Arm. Young people who are in business or looking forward to start businesses are invited to apply through radio, CBZ Bank branches and social media.

“The applications are reviewed and selected participants are invited to workshops. Workshops are held in every province and we are looking forward to completing the initial round of workshops by October. During the workshop participants are taught essential practical skills for starting and running growth-oriented business as opposed to survivalist businesses where one is self-employed.

“With growth-oriented businesses we looking at a high level of formality, registration of the businesses and complying with rules and regulations, planning their businesses properly and having a strategy and employing other people.

“They also benefit from networking and exposed to a wide range of financial products offered by CBZ Bank. Those who excel have an opportunity to win prizes. Five people per province will be selected from this workshop and they will proceed to the next round of the programme.

“Two will be selected and get further training and seed capital for their business while their performance is assessed and the top 10 will get prizes. The highest prize is $7 000 and the winning business will be profiled at different forums like SMEs Indaba.”

The programmes manager, Mr Chitsike, said they had trained about 3 000 youths, 52 percent of them women,  since the inception of the programmes.

A participant, Tafadzwa Mombeyarara (22), urged the youths to take advantage of such programmes to start their own businesses.