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The Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYOF) Annual Conference, underway at the Celebration Centre in Borrowdale, Harare, yesterday witnessed the collaborative efforts of two prominent institutions – the Institute Of Entrepreneurs Zimbabwe (IOEZ); and the Centre for Business and Entrepreneurship Development (CBED) – in their quest to capacitate aspiring and established entrepreneurs across the Southern African region.
The two institutions, known for their practical entrepreneurship programs, graced the annual conference to attract more Southern African youth to their initiatives, equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to start and grow successful business ventures.
During the official opening of the conference on Saturday, August 10th, Dr. Kudzanai Vere, the Regional Director for CBED and the CEO of IOEZ, delivered a captivating presentation on the “4 critical Ss in business” – Start, Support, Sustain, and Succeed. He emphasized the importance of strategy, structure, and systems as the key elements that drive the success of any business venture.
On Monday, August 12th, Dr. Vere further engaged the Southern African youth in an Entrepreneurship Masterclass, which was highly praised by the participants for its comprehensive and impactful content. The masterclass equipped the attendees with the essential tools and frameworks needed to navigate the entrepreneurial journey, including the “Entrepreneurship SYRINGE” (Start, Yearn for greatness, Running the business and risk, Innovation, Networking and negotiating, Growing the business and Exploring opportunities and Exploiting them) and the “Six Pack Approach to becoming Entrepreneurs of IMPACT” (Discovering yourself, Re-Ordering your life, Emerging, Networking, Continuous Improvement, and Transcend).
The conference also featured a Business and Entrepreneurship discussion panel, comprising industry experts such as Mr. George Munengwa, the billionaire founder of Pro Air Zimbabwe, Mr. Ronald Mautsa the CEO of TafronTechnologies who is currently the Board Chairman of IOEZ, Kudzai, a local manufacturer, a microfinance expert, and representatives from ZB Bank. The panel provided valuable insights and shared best practices on various aspects of entrepreneurship, including the strategic use of social media to scale up businesses.
This panel discussion was punctuated by an excellent presentation by Lesly Marange the founder and CEO of Glytime Foods – a company that has in recent times registered astounding growth. Lesly is into manufacturing expert-quality biscuits and snacks and has operations in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana. The youth learned from Zimbabwe’s emerging industry giant.
Tshepo, the CBED Country Director from South Africa, and Tineyi Nyamaropa, the Cbed Country Director from Zimbabwe, were also in attendance, contributing to the overall success of the event.
Misheck Gondo, the SAYOF Regional Coordinator, expressed his deep gratitude for the conference’s progress and commended all the thematic session leaders and speakers for their exceptional contributions.
The collaborative efforts of IOEZ and Cbed at the Southern Africa Youth Forum Annual Conference have undoubtedly set the stage for a renewed focus on empowering the region’s youth to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys with confidence and a clear roadmap for success.