Tweet

Wanted: jobs for Africa’s youth - Entrepreneurship

Written by: Africa Renewal

Article Overview: Another focus of action has been on spreading entrepreneurship skills beyond the schools. A number of countries have introduced entrepreneurship training programmes, including Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Policymakers believe that the promotion of small-business enterprises and the informal sector offer quick solutions to joblessness.

Wanted: jobs for Africa’s youth - Entrepreneurship

From Africa Renewal, Vol.20 #3 (October 2006), page 6

By Gumisai Mutume

Another focus of action has been on spreading entrepreneurship skills beyond the schools. A number of countries have introduced entrepreneurship training programmes, including Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Policymakers believe that the promotion of small-business enterprises and the informal sector offer quick solutions to joblessness.

In Nigeria, which has more than 10 million small-business owners, the government supports new entrepreneurs through a network of about 20 industrial development centres that train youth, help them turn their ideas into feasible business ventures and supply them with credit.

But many of these programmes are not easily accessible to women, notes Ms. Christiana Okojie of the University of Benin, Nigeria. “Studies have shown that women tend to benefit less … as they are crowded out by men,” she reports. Women are at the back of the job queue, since they generally have lower levels of education, due in part to cultural and other biases against the training of girls. Ms. Okojie argues that governments should put in place deliberate affirmative action policies for poor, rural women and should establish training programmes in sectors that employ many women, such as trading and agricultural processing.

Responding to the need for gender-specific programmes, women lawyers, bankers, entrepreneurs and trainers set up the Kenya Women Finance Trust in 1981. It is the only micro-finance institution in the country exclusively for women, and it has more than 100,000 members. It grants cheap credit to low-income earners to start small businesses.

Related Articles
  7 mistakes, and 7 keys to successful entreprneuership.
  Wanted: jobs for Africa’s youth
  Pure Entrepreneurship
  18.0 Conclusion: Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Africa
  SMEs - African confusion with entrepreneurship

Article Tags: Christiana Okojie, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship skills, entrepreneurship training, Gambia Kenya Malawi Nigeria Swaziland, Gumisai Mutume, Kenya Women Finance Trust, Nigeria, training programmes, Zimbabwe Policymakers



Related Forum Posts
Re: Should Evan add a "Social Media Marketing" category to the f - Wanted to add my own vote, but the voting button was missing
Re: Need some information on freelance jobs! - oDesk is the same as Elance where you can bid on projects/jobs that are posted. When I was working in oDesk the main problem I experienced was the difficulty in getting my first job because of competition. There are already other service providers who already have a lot of completed jobs and good ratings with good feedback. So what I did was to bid on simple jobs - I bid a very low price so that I could just get a job and hopefully when I done it right or done it well I can have a good rating and feedback. That's how I began. I slowly build my reputation by completing simple jobs and eventually I can then compete with others and can bid high already.
Online Teen Magazine... Tips - I am planning to start an online teen magazine and of course bootstrapping will be my choice of funding. I am searching internet for some help as I am having a hard time on deciding what to surround the topic about. I know I wanted to start a online magazine for youth entrepreneurs but I am not sure though as it seems like the idea will be bland and boring. So I've been trying to plan another way out for coming up with a topic that will interest teen's, but will also give them some knowledge in saving their money and the business world. I am not necessarily looking to start entirely a "Teen" magazine but you should get what path I am on. My question is, what kind of online magazine should I start and how can I diversify the topic's to make it interesting to teen's but also give them entrepreneurship knowledge. I was thinking of a youth entrepreneur magazine but I am not sure right now though.
Re: Need some information on freelance jobs! - Hi, firstly let me confess the idea of online jobs and business alike are new to me. I had some of my own business plans but am not confident in launching the same owing to the crashing economy. Now as I see you people are talking about the freelance jobs, I wanted to know some more things about these in details. For people like us who are business minded and do not want to be working as subordinates the difference between jobs and setting up an own business is always there. Provided I cant find the best opportunity to setup my business now as already said do you think the freelance jobs about which you are talking here can be considered as an alternative for the same. Maybe thinking about finances this is going to be a safer option but is the change acceptable. I hope I could make myself clear.
Re: Hi there! I'm Shanuna Cortez - Welcome Shanuna to the club. We will like you to post and let us know more about British Entrepreneurship Society


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Unspoken Yet Important Rules for Book Proposals

10 Golden rules to survive the Global Crisis

Remind Me...

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.