Youth Development Fund Guidelines

MINISTRY OF YOUTH, SPORT AND CULTURE
DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FUND
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
DRAFT

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Out-of-school youth - Any youth who is not currently attending any school and/or training. Unemployed youth – Any youth who is not in any formal employment or not operating any form of business.

Underemployed Youth– Any youth who fall under the following:
- Employed on a part-time basis and earning below P500 per month,-  Employed on a full time basis and earning below P500 per month,- Operates a small subsistence business making an average of P500 per month turn-over.

(Note: a salary slip and employment letter should be produced as proof) Recipient/Beneficiaries – Youth who receive the fund for approved project. (Note: Beneficiaries shall be expected to work full time in the project/business.)

Fund – Financial assistance given to the youth beneficiaries in the form of 50% grant and 50% interest-free loan. Grant - funds given out to youth for approved projects. Beneficiaries shall not be expected to return such funds. This grant comes with issues of accountability and responsibility by the grantee and signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Botswana Government which is valid for Five (5) years.

Loan –funds given to youth for approved projects which the beneficiary shall be expected to repay with no interest. In cases of default, a five (5%) percent interest rate will be charged per month to the arrears. This loan comes with issues of accountability and responsibility by the youth and signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Botswana Government which is valid for Five (5) years.

1. BACKGROUND

The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture has the portfolio responsibility among others for the coordination, implementation and evaluation of the National Youth Policy. In implementing the National Youth Policy the Ministry has put in place a programme for Out-of-School, marginalised and unemployed youth to venture into income generating projects.

2. OBJECTIVES:

- To promote active participation of youth in the socio-economic development of the country.
- To encourage the out-of-school, marginalised and unemployed youth to venture into sustainable and viable income generating projects.
- To promote the development of competitive of sustainable and growth oriented citizen owned youth enterprises.
- To reduce rural-urban migration by making it attractive to start growth-orientated enterprises at rural areas.
- To create sustainable employment opportunities for young people through the development of sustainable projects.

3. OPERATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES

3.1 The Department of Youth shall be responsible for the implementation
and management of projects approved under the Fund

3.2 The Department of Youth shall be responsible for the implementation
and management of projects approved under the Fund. District Youth Officers shall be responsible for:
- screening of applications,
- coordination of appraisal and adjudication of all submissions and
- monitoring of approved projects.

3.3 Project Officers shall provide technical assistance to District Youth Offices on fund management. All requests for funding shall then be referred to the Production Development Committee/Administrative Committee for adjudication.

4. FORM OF ASSISTANCE

4.1 Financial assistance provided by the Youth Development Fund (YDF) shall be in the form of grants and loans. The financial assistance may be used for infrastructural developments such as movable containers, poultry houses, piggery house, kraals etc required for the project or to cover working capital or both, provided that the requested amount falls within the fund ceiling.

4.2 Entrepreneurial development training is considered critical for the success of small businesses. In this regard, requisite training shall be provided prior to the disbursements of funds. The beneficiaries shall also go through project specific training, this shall be dependent upon skills gaps identified during monitoring of projects.

4.3 Monitoring and mentoring services shall be provided, and it is expected that this support will equip young people with the requisite skills for running businesses, thereby enhancing the prospects of success of the programme. Training, monitoring and mentoring under the Fund will be rationalized with other training programmes provided by Government institutions, including Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), Junior Achievement Botswana (JAB), Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) and the private sector to avoid duplication of efforts.

4.4 The Fund shall leverage on existing infrastructure in the country to minimize costs and avoid duplication of efforts.
(Note: Availability and suitability of land required for development of the project where applicable shall be the responsibility of the applicant.)

5. FUNDING GUIDELINES FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FUND PROJECTS

5.1 The fund ceiling shall be P100 000.00.

5.2 Funding shall be 50% grant and 50% interest free loan.

5.3 A penalty of 5% interest per month shall be charged to defaulters.
5.4 Beneficiaries shall benefit once under the Fund. The expectation is that they have to graduate and utilise other financial intermediaries to expand and grow their establishments.

5.5 Youth who benefitted from the Out-of-School Youth Grant, Financial Assistance Programme (FAP), KBL Kickstart and Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency shall not be eligible to be funded under this fund.

5.6 The repayment periods for the loan component shall be as follows:
- Up to P25 000 shall not exceed 36 months
- From P25 001 to P50 000 shall not exceed 60 months
5.7 The grace period for the loan component shall not exceed 12 months and shall be as follows:
- Non-agricultural projects – 3 months
- Poultry, Beekeeping, Fish Farming, Rabbits, Horticulture – 6 Months
- Small Stock, Piggery – 12 months
- Livestock, Horses, Donkeys, Dog Breeding – 12 months
5.8 Assistance is available to individuals and companies who meet the following criteria:
- Batswana aged 18-29 years
- Out-of-school-youth
- Unemployed youth
- Underemployed youth
- A legally registered business/company that is owned by young citizens.

6. PROJECT APPLICATION AND APPRAISAL PROCEDURE

6.1 All projects should be conceptualised, initiated and implemented by eligible youth.

6.2 Proposals for funding should provide a clear path of employing other unemployed youth.

6.3 The applicant should possess relevant knowledge and or experience, in skills intensive projects.

6.4 Project proposals should be accompanied by the following documents:

6.5 A copy of valid certificate of business name/ company registration

6.6 Three (3) quotations from 3 different companies/suppliers.

6.7 A copy of valid license of operation (where applicable).

6.8 Certified copies of valid Omang of all project members.

6.9 A letter of intent to lease or lease agreement in cases of operating businesses or proof of ownership thereof.

6.10 Curriculum Vitae of all members.

6.11 Certified copies of vocational and or academic certificates (where applicable)

6.12 Copy of partnership deed or group constitution or memorandum and articles of association (where applicable)

6.13 Certificates of business registration and shareholder’s certificate should show all names of members.

6.14 Applicants requesting for financial assistance should collect and submit their proposal(s) to their respective Youth Offices in their area of operation and NOT at Head Office. Consequently, Youth Officer(s) will not endorse project(s) of youth or youth groups that do not fall under the area of their jurisdiction.
(Note: Proposals that are not accompanied by required documents shall not be accepted.)

7. Funding of proposals shall strictly depend upon the project viability.

8. The fund will finance project’s fixed assets and working capital.
- For Non-Agricultural projects, working capital shall be paid for a period of three (3) months only.
- For Agricultural Projects such as poultry, working capital shall be paid for a period of six (6) months
- Small stock, piggery will be paid for a period of (12) months
- Livestock farming will be paid for a period of (12) months.
(Note: 1. Connection and installation of electricity, water, telephone or borehole drilling will not be financed.
2. The working capital must be calculated in the overall project proposal.)

9. Projects operating in backyards shall not be accepted unless approved by byelaw authorities.

10. Release of funds to successful projects shall be done after conditions precedents have been met. All payments shall be made directly to the suppliers and not to the beneficiaries.

11. The beneficiaries shall be responsible for the transportation of their goods from suppliers to their place of operation. Transport costs for such should be made part of the project budget.

12. OTHER SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

12.1 Business proposal: To get assistance under the Youth Development Fund, applicants are required to submit the Fund’s application form.

12.2 Project Evaluation: Project proposals shall be subject to a thorough adjudication process by the PDC/AC to demonstrate viability.

12.3 Agreements: Applicants of approved projects will be required to sign binding loan and grant agreements with the Department of Youth at their respective District Youth Office.

12.4 Reporting: Beneficiaries shall be required to fully account for the funds and submit monthly progress reports accompanied by a detailed financial report to their respective District Youth Offices.

12.5 Business bank accounts are a requisite and periodic bank statements should accompany the monthly reports to the district youth office.

12.6 Willingness to be guided: The project beneficiaries must demonstrate willingness to be guided and developed as entrepreneurs. They will need to comply with the training, mentoring and monitoring processes.

12.7 Management: The project should be full time owner-managed.

13. TYPES OF PROJECTS NOT TO BE FUNDED:

- Bar/ Bottle Store/Liquor Restaurant/ any other alcohol related projects.
- Cash Loan
- Night Clubs
- Property Acquisition and Development
- Motor Vehicles
- Phone Shops
- Cattle Speculation
- Any other business that is not allowed by the laws of Botswana.

14. MONITORING OF YOUTH PROJECTS

Monitoring of youth projects shall be carried out by the Youth Officers, PDC/AC and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that funds are utilised for the intended purposes.


15. APPEALS STRUCTURE

In the event of an appeal, the following procedure shall apply:
- The appeal should be in a written form and be submitted to the District Youth Officer who shall then forward it to the Regional Youth Officer, who is a member of the Appeals Board.
- The appeal should be submitted to the District Youth Officer within 14 working days from the time of receipt of the rejection letter.

The appeal should be addressed to the chairman of the Appeals Board, who is the Director of the Department of Youth, P/Bag 00185 Gaborone.

THE DECISION OF THE APPEAL’S BODY SHALL BE FINAL

Appeals Board shall comprise:
- Director of Youth,
- Head of Project Division,
- Regional Youth Officer,
- Regional Projects Officer (Secretariat) for the respective region.
- An expert in the relevant field shall be called as and when the need arises

Source: http://www.gov.bw/Global/MYSC/YDF_Guidelines.pdf?epslanguage=en

CEDA Young Farmers Fund guidelines

http://www.ceda.co.bw/DOWNLOD/YFF%20Guidelines.pdfCEDA YOUNG FARMERS FUND
GUIDELINES
MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
December, 2006

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Botswana like many other developing countries is presently facing a wide range of challenges, such as unemployment, HIV/AIDS and poverty. The most affected section of our society, in this respect, is the youth.

1.2 Botswana’s population is predominantly young. According to the 2001 Population Census, young people of the age group 0-29 constitute 67.6% of the total population of Botswana. The Household Income and Expenditure Survey of 2002/03 reveal that youth unemployment rate is highest among the age group of 15 to 29 years.

1.3 Whilst the contribution of agricultural sector to the GDP is currently low, the national significance of the sector is still highly recognized. This stems from the fact that the agricultural sector has the potential to provide some solutions to the problems of unemployment, particularly if agriculture is undertaken in a commercial fashion. The sector is dominated by elderly people, while the youth, including those with requisite training are unemployed or have found jobs in other occupations.

1.4 It is against this background that His Excellency the President, in the State of the Nation Address in November 2005, announced the need to create a fund under CEDA to provide agricultural loans for graduates (degree, diploma and certificate holders) from agricultural training institutions and thus further add impetus to efforts to tackle youth unemployment.

1.5 Through the Young Farmers Fund (YFF), as the Fund will be called, young people will have improved access to finance and entrepreneurial training and thus will be able to engage in sustainable agricultural activities better equipped with the requisite skills for running farming businesses.

2.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE FUND

The major objectives of the Young Farmers Fund are to:
a. Foster youth enterprises in agriculture through effective pursuit of opportunities in the agricultural sector.

b. Encourage the development of competitive and sustainable youth enterprises by rewarding competitiveness and discouraging inefficiency.

c. Create sustainable employment opportunities for young people through the development of sustainable agricultural projects.

d. Promote the development of vertical integration and horizontal linkages between enterprises and primary industries in agriculture.

e. Minimize migration of young people to urban centres through creation of job opportunities in rural areas.

3.0 OPERATIONAL & INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES

3.1 There will be a Young Farmers Fund Investment Committee appointed by the Board of CEDA. The Investment Committee shall appoint one of the members, other than the CEDA representative, as Chairperson and the committee will consist of (but not limited to) representatives from Ministry of Agriculture, Local Enterprise Authority, and the Botswana National Youth Council. The major function of the Investment Committee is to make investment decisions for, and on behalf, of the Young Farmers Fund.

3.2 There will be a Young Farmers Fund Manager who is responsible for the implementation and management of projects approved under the Fund.

3.3 There will be Youth Officers responsible for projects at application, evaluation, monitoring and mentoring stages.

3.4 The Young Farmers Fund shall utilize the CEDA infrastructure, information technology platform, etc.

3.5 The accounts of the Young Farmers Fund shall be prepared and reported separately from the main CEDA accounts.

3.6 An advisory committee will be established under the Ministry of Agriculture to oversee the implementation of the programme. Other members of the Committee will come from the Ministries of Lands and Housing, Labour and Home Affairs and Finance and Development Planning. Others may be co-opted from time to time if necessary. The Committee, in collaboration with CEDA will, among other things, identify implementation bottlenecks and propose solution/measures thereof.

3.7 The Ministry of Lands will support the programme in terms of acquisition of land by beneficiaries. The Ministry of labour and Home Affairs will provide guidance on Youth Policy issues. The role of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is to provide capital and advice on financial assistance issues.

3.8 The role of the Local Enterprises Authority as provider of entrepreneurship skills training is also important. The involvement of other relevant structures, such as the Botswana National Youth Council, which has been established as a body representing Youth interests and concerns, will also be encouraged for the success of the programme. Other structures, such as the Production Development Committees and Junior Achievement Botswana may be used with a view to dealing with some key management issues of the Fund.

4.0 FORM OF ASSISTANCE

4.1 Young Farmers Fund focuses specifically on the development of viable, sustainable youth-owned agricultural projects, through the development of, and access to funding, and entrepreneurial and management skills training, monitoring and mentoring services.

4.2 Financial assistance provided by the Young Farmers Fund is in the form of loans at subsidized interest rates. The loan may be used for infrastructure development required for the project or to cover working capital or both.

4.3 Availability and suitability of land required for development of the project will be the responsibility of the promoter.

4.4 A project specific training is considered critical for the success of the project. In this respect, requisite training will be provided prior to the disbursements of the loan.

4.5 Monitoring and mentoring service is to be provided, and it is expected that this support will equip young people with the requisite skills for running businesses, thereby enhancing prospects of success of the programme. Training, monitoring and mentoring under the Fund will be rationalized with other training programmes provided by Government, institutions, including Ministry of Agriculture, to avoid duplication of efforts.

4.6 Insurance to cover for drought and other natural disasters is critical and will be provided for under the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme, which is currently managed by the National Development Bank.

4.7 The Fund will leverage on existing infrastructure in the country to minimize costs and avoid duplication of efforts.

5.0 CRITERIA FOR ASSISTANCE

The Fund will be available to all young people (aged between 18 and 35 years) who are citizens of Botswana or wholly citizen owned companies, wishing to start or expand agricultural projects.

6.0 LEVEL OF ASSISTANCE

6.1 The maximum size of the loan for a project is P500 000.

6.2 An interest rate of 5% will be charged on a loan.

6.3 The repayment periods for loans are as follows;

a) up to P100 000 will not exceed 60 months,
b) from P100 001 to P250 000 will not exceed 84 months, and
c) above P250 000 will not exceed 120 months.

6.4 The grace period for loans will not exceed 24 months and the interest accruing during the grace period will be capitalized.

7.0 OTHER SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

7.1 Business Proposals: To access assistance under the Young Farmers Fund applicants are required to submit business proposals and the projects need to demonstrate viability.

7.2 Project Evaluation: Projects requiring funding will be thoroughly evaluated to determine viability and sustainability.

7.3 Security: Promoters may be required to pledge assets financed by the Fund as security/sureties and be required to sign personal guarantees or both.

7.4 Agreements: Promoters of approved projects will be required to sign binding loan agreement with the Fund.

7.5 Reporting: Regular reports by the beneficiaries about the performance of the projects approved by the Fund will be required by CEDA.

7.6 Willingness to be guided: The project promoters must demonstrate willingness to be guided and developed as entrepreneurs.

7.7 Number of Loans: Applicants cannot be granted more than one loan at a time and eligibility for a further loan is dependent on the successful retirement of the initial loan and the performance of the financed project, except in cases where, (a) payments on the existing loan are up-to-date, (b) the existing loan is performing well (i.e. the payments have always been up-to-date, (c) the financed project is performing satisfactorily, (d) there has been proper, timeous reporting on the existing funded business from the promoter, and (e) additional loan is part of restructuring the existing project. Applicants can be extended seasonal loans provided they meet the above criteria.

7.8 Management: The project should be full time owner-managed, or there should be evidence that the person (other than the owner) engaged to manage the project has requisite technical know-how and basic training in agriculture.

7.9 Project Location: The location of the project must have been approved with the assistance of the Ministry of Agriculture extension services.

Source: http://www.ceda.co.bw/DOWNLOD/YFF%20Guidelines.pdf

Youth Entrepreneurship Development in Botswana: An Analysis

By Tlhatlhobo "Tk" ko goo Rra Mosienyane

 One of the inherent qualities of the concept of entrepreneurship which has contributed to the stagnation of research on the subject is that scholars have yet to come up with a unanimous description and explanation for it. Despite having been identified as one of the stimulants of economic growth, little if any research has been taken on this phenomenon in Botswana. Young people make the bulk of Botswana’s population comprising an estimated 60% of the local population, the need to combat high unemployment levels amongst this age group need not be the focus of this moment. This submission seeks to look into entrepreneurship and the various characteristics which have come to be associated with this growing trend, in doing so I will try to explore the definition of entrepreneurship as well as some of the key benefits of implementing a cohesive entrepreneurship development agenda particularly amongst the Youth. One of the first individuals to recognize its importance in economic theory was Richard Cantillon who said that “The farmer is an entrepreneur who promises to pay the landowner, for his farm or land, a fixed sum of money without assurance for the profit he will derive from his enterprise”. This played testament to one of the true defining creeds of entrepreneurship being the lack of fear in taking calculated risks. Other scholars have focused their scope on the traits and personal attributes that make and define entrepreneurs, McClelland submits an explanation of entrepreneurship hedged on the need for achievement. Other scholars have equally submitted other characteristics of successful entrepreneurs like an internal locus of control, low aversion to risk taking, aggressiveness, ambition, over-optimism, a desire for autonomy, personal values and the need or hunger for power.

From these diverse explanations for entrepreneurship, the role of an entrepreneur can thus be derived. Various categories have been submitted of entrepreneurs and the scope in which they operate. Another type of entrepreneurship, gathering momentum across the globe, is social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship uses entrepreneurial activity to create social value; wealth creation is just a means to an end and a way of measuring value creation.
As Dees (2001) puts it, “For social entrepreneurs, social mission-related impact becomes the central criterion, not wealth creation”. Socially entrepreneurial ventures focus on innovative approaches to social problems, pursue financial self-sustainability and independence from the State, set clear performance goals and apply proven management skills to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and accountability. There exists a need for Botswana to cater for this group of entrepreneurs in her developmental drive given the wide spread benefits of social entrepreneurship both to the economy and the social order at large. Economic entrepreneurs on the other hand are all about the money, their primary orientation is profit with a religious dedication to huge profit margins. This group of entrepreneurs is particularly crucial in Botswana’s bid to have a private sector led economy as opposed to a government led economy.
Another type here submitted is public entrepreneurship, one of the least recognized types of entrepreneurship. Whereas public entrepreneurs employ the same strategies as
economic entrepreneurs, their goal is not only geared towards financial gains or wealth creation, this group of young cats is more concerned with improving efficiency and effectiveness in public institutions. These guys help institutions and organization to become more responsive and in touch with their clients and communities. Through establishing consultancies geared towards such, entrepreneurs are often engaged on various projects. For instance, some public entrepreneurs have found value and profit in offering public institutions and private companies training programs. Because BOTA encourages employers to invest in their human resources training through the Vocational Training fund, public entrepreneurs in Botswana have carved a niche in offering training and development programs and solutions to companies and organizations. All these various types of entrepreneurship seem to highlight one thing, the diverse nature of entrepreneurship. The concept of entrepreneurship is widely linked and attached to innovation, something which signifies the modern world's continued change to adapt to an increasingly transforming and globalized community.

The need for young people to venture into entrepreneurship based activity cannot be over emphasized; a large number of young people are unemployed despite their having various skills that could, if appropriately utilized, generate income for the said people in the form of enterprise. With an increasing number of graduates joining the unemployed, the time for Botswana to establish mechanisms to foster a culture of entrepreneurship amongst today’s youth has come and is just about to go. I argue that this slim opportunity is just about to go simply because as we chart our entrepreneurship development roadmap, other countries in the global community are increasingly taking paradigm shifts towards entrepreneurship centric economies as a strategic move to create efficiency, effectiveness and employment in their countries. I further submit that the benefits of entrepreneurship amongst the Youth go way beyond the traditional employment creation associated with entrepreneurship, it weaves itself into our social structure curing ills such as delinquency as youth are now engaged on more productive capacities, it empowers the young as more and more entrepreneurs become role models for those in school. Entrepreneurship goes way beyond the conventional business skills; it drills critical thinking and decision making skills into those committed to it while ensuring that big targets such as food security and self sufficiency are systematically met. With this in mind, it would be thus prudent to see how we can promote entrepreneurship among the populace, particularly the young, so as to tap into the benefits that will accrue from this approach.

One need only look at companies like Facebook, Twitter, Apple and in Botswana’s case, Choppies, to see how entrepreneurship and innovation can transform companies. One of the characteristics that these companies have in common is their ability to see opportunities, seize them and promote innovation as part of their system. Entrepreneurial companies have extraordinary growth over a sustained period and thus impact remarkably on economic growth. I had the honor of co-pioneering a youth entrepreneurship program last year dubbed the Varsities Economic Empowerment Day where the primal focus was to foster entrepreneurship skills amongst University Students as well as to urge them to adopt entrepreneurship as a viable employment opportunity for both themselves and their peers. Presentation on the various businesses
and models that could work for them were made while established entrepreneurs such as Mme Joy Simekane gave inspiring messages to the participants, I was surprised at the over whelming response we got from the student populace and the well thought recommendations submitted during the two day conference. The conference gave me a clear cut conviction of the need to integrate the youth into Botswana’s economic diversification objectives and drive, while the conference, and many others like it sought to get young people to participate in the main stream economy as entrepreneurs, we still have a wide spread deficiency in our out reach programs as social entrepreneurs. First on the stumbling blocks list is the capacity of the said conferences, a majority of Youth do not get access to these entrepreneurial development programs with the most affected living in the far flung areas of this beautiful nation of ours. Secondly, the sustainability of projects geared towards entrepreneurship development and social change in general has proven to be a major thorn in the flesh for those with the wish to invest in social change. Funding, as is always the case, is a major impediment in the establishment of programs that could initiate innovation effectively and efficiently. The National Human Resource Development strategy points out that Botswana is currently classified as an efficiency based economy by the Global Competitiveness Report (2008).

The report categorizes countries into three being ‘Factor driven’, Efficiency driven and Innovation driven. The first, ‘Factor Driven’ stage of development is where countries rely on their basic factor endowments, primarily unskilled labor and natural resources. The second development stage is termed ‘Efficiency Driven’ characterized by higher wages, more efficient production processes, increased product quality, efficient markets, higher levels of education and training and the ability to harness the benefits of existing technologies. South Africa and Mauritius have reached this stage of development while Botswana and Namibia have been classified as - transitional economies moving from Stage 1 to Stage 2. Finally, there are the third stage countries whose economies are ‘Innovation Driven’ which provide a sustainable high standard of living for their citizens and associated high wages, by producing new and innovative goods, developing sophisticated production processes and educating and training high level „knowledge workers‟. Currently there are no African countries which have reached this stage of development. It therefore remains crucial for Botswana to effect research on issues, challenges and barrier facing young entrepreneurs that will assist in pin pointing and addressing any loopholes that might have been found. This will in the short term ensure that our mediation strategies as a country are both clear cut and to the point, tackling bottlenecks that will never suffice without the proper research and studies. Due to the many strong arguments for entrepreneurship, promoting an entrepreneurial culture should be encouraged by word and might from the sectors of society. This should be accompanied by directing our education system to deliver individuals with a good combination of specialist and generalist skills. On top of this, the main tenets of entrepreneurship should be a common course for all students so as to equip them with necessary skills like writing a business plan, preparing a proposal to present to investors, how to register a company, general accounting skills and other necessary skills.

Imbedding a culture of entrepreneurship amongst young people is no easy task, some lack the desire or will, some the skills, and some are just plain old lazy while some hold Doctorate degrees in the art of procrastination. Bottom line, we need to work towards ensuring a generation of innovative and creative young people who can compete with the best in Jozi, the best in Windhoek, Harare and of course Shanghai. This will ensure Botswana a special place in the global and African arena as a pioneer in youth entrepreneurship development and support. The case for entrepreneurship has already been made, what remains is for the various stakeholders in youth entrepreneurship development to carve a way forward for the empowerment of a generation ravaged by high levels of unemployment, this way forward should be reflective of the diverse nature of entrepreneurship and the innovation that is so often preached but not implemented.

Tlhatlhobo Mosienyane is a Youth Entrepreneurship Development lobbyist; he is currently a Finance & Administration Director at Mafilla Promotions, e-mail your comments to tkmosienyane@gmail.com

Today's tomorrow

A country born in 1966 rose, in a little over 30 years, from being one of the least developed countries in the World to a middle income country. Our economic success as a country has largely been attributed to revenue from mineral sales, particularly diamond mining which commands a large segment of our earnings. The need for Botswana to diversify her country need not be reaffirmed in this submission, what needs to be affirmed how ever is the strategies we have adopted to ensure that we attain the diversification we so badly seek. A majority Botswana's population is the Youth, comprising a little over 60% of the country's population, this segment of our society faces a myriad of challenges top of the list being a lack of employment and a lack of income. It remains crucial for the youth to be strategically incorporated into the mainstream economy such that they too can contribute to the development of this country. Entrepreneurship has been widely credited for economic growth in many of today's economic giants and has been widely praised for the innovation and creativity which it fosters in a given society. Currently our Youth face high unemployment levels, delinquency and many other ills, it remains crucial for Botswana to employ our young in the field of entrepreneurship such that they become job creators instead of Job seekers. Furthermore, they will in effect contributing to the growth and development of the private sector hence preparing us for a paradigm shift from a government led economy to a private sector led economy. By equipping our young with entrepreneurial skills and information, we will in effect be preparing them for competition with their counter parts in the global arena. Botswana's Economic Diversification Drive should be mindful of the fact that the Young are simply today's tomorrow.