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Business Reporter
BARCLAYS Bank of Zimbabwe has urged young people to have a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship and take it seriously as a measure of reducing unemployment among the youths.Barclays managing director Mr George Guvamatanga said as a financial institution they valued community investment and they wanted to impart entrepreneurship skills to young people.
He was speaking at an “Unlocking youth potential” entrepreneurship seminar organised by Barclays Bank Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and attended by about 500 high school students, emerging and established entrepreneurs.
The seminar was the second organised by the bank after a similar one in Harare. Mr Guvamatanga said “Unlocking youth potential” was a unique initiative targeted at empowering and equipping young people with skills to face the corporate world and to start their own businesses.
“We realised that there is need to mentor and guide these young people so that they know what to expect when they get into the corporate world. When we grew up we did not get the same opportunity that is why we want to catch these ones as early as possible so that they become successful entrepreneurs who will contribute to the growth of the economy,” he said.
He said it is important for young people to change their mentality and attitude.
“The young people have to do away with a mentality of saying when they finish school they want to be employed and work for someone else, instead they should think of how they will create employment because as we speak a lot of young people even university graduates are not employed,” said Mr Guvamatanga.
He said good ideas will attract investment and young entrepreneurs should position themselves in the manner that will attract investors.
“Investors will not feel pity for you, they will invest when they see that there is an opportunity and that your business idea is good and profitable,” said Mr Guvamatanga.
He said young people should take entrepreneurship seriously so that they create employment and sustain themselves at the same time contributing to the growth of the economy.
Mr Guvamatanga said the initiative would help to do away with the myths that for one to start a business they needed a lot of capital.
“Not all businesses require a lot of money to start them, even those which need money if you approach banks with a good business proposal and idea they will not hesitate to give you loans,” he said.
Empretec Zimbabwe Southern Region Co-ordinator Mrs Lifneth Moyo said youths should change their attitude and start taking entrepreneurship seriously because it will help to alleviate unemployment among youths.
She said if young people became entrepreneurs it would benefit the industry and even other young people.
“This initiative will benefit the industry if the young people have the right attitude, even the empty buildings we see in town will be put into utilities thus revival of the industry and the economy,” she said.
She encouraged young people to start saving on their own and not always rely on the banks.
“We have what we call internal saving and lending programme, through which we encourage young people to save as groups and they can also borrow this money and pay back with interest instead of one going to pay the banks a lot of money.”
Online Reporter