Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative in partnership with Gemini Enterprise Africa or GEA on Tuesday launched a business plan competition for youth
The youth who win the competition will be awarded untold amount of money to start their businesses based on their ideas.
Speaking during the launch, Gama Hassan Romeo, Boot camp manager Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative Torit branch says the launch aims at giving youth a chance to express their business ideas to transform lives.
According to him, empowering youth into business activities help improve country’s economy
‘Today is the day to say let these people be given a chance to express their ideas of business, that will help us to move forward in this community, the idea of training you is not for getting this grant the idea of training you is to get the knowledge and apply it in doing business that can help yourself as well as improve the community we are in, in South Sudan we are not so much expose to business that is why we are seeing in South Sudan so many foreigners are coming to South Sudan to do Business’, he says.
Jordan Anguramoi Ohia, a student competing for the business plan competition, promises to prioritize business amidst hardship
He call on his fellow students to fully understand business concept skills
‘We should put in mind that it is only competition but even if I will not get that grant I tell you I will continue with a head and do my business if one of us fail, you fail with your effort. We come here to learn the concept of business, it doesn’t matter, the investment cost there is not specific investment cost needed for us to start the business, you can start with 50 pounds, you can started 100,000 pounds it is all about the concept of business’, the student notes.
Orupi David Uywek, Torit state acting youth leader appreciates Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative for its positive support in transforming lives of youth in the state.
He calls for collective responsibility in engaging youth in productive activities so as to reduce dependency.
‘I really want to appreciate the management of Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative, they have actually tried their best to make sure they train our youth, they train our community so that they benefit out of this services. I actually recognize your services we think wisely that when we are working together, we will transform our people and how can we transform our people through this kind of services you are trying to render to our youth. By then we were really been calling our partners to make sure they open some developmental programs to our youth’, David says.
On his part, Simon Barnaba, Torit State Acting Director-General for Information, Culture and Youth encourages youth to engage in the market to compete with foreign traders.
He observes that majority of competitive businesses in Torit are owned by foreigners.
Three out of 18 young people who attended business management training at Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative are expected to compete in winning fun to start their business.