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Langalakhe Mabena
HUSTLERS and business-like-minded youths in Bulawayo are expected to converge at the historical Barbourfields stadium (outside grounds), on 22 and 23 March for this year’s edition of the Hustlers Summit at an event themed “Hope and Hustle.”
On the third edition, the founder and convener of the Hustlers Summit, Nkosana George Mazibisa, revealed that this year’s event will have South African multi-millionaire, media personality, TV Host, actress, actor and radio broadcaster – Nicolette Mashile, as the main speaker.
The other keynote speaker is Tsega Tadesse Belachew from the University of Maryland (USA). She is the director of Venture Development for the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University.
Local speakers will include teenage musician, Andrea the Vocalist of Uhambo fame, Thubelihle Ndlovu of Purse on Point as well as Nyary Moyo of Yanaya.
Mzoe 7, who was recently named as the Hustlers Summit brand ambassador as well as Lamas Ellz, will be part of the performers at the annually held Business and Entrepreneurship event.
Why choose Barbourfields as the venue for the event?
We went back to the township because we needed to demystify and make the summit accessible to everyone. Barbourfields is the first township where the first entrepreneurs of the city of Bulawayo used to stay.
“The ground is central even if it’s eKasi because it’s near town. We will be using the small grounds outside as we want to set an example that even grounds can be used for conferences and summits.
“With the numbers we have pulled before, we are expecting to host over 2 000 people there,” said Mazibisa.
This time around, the summit will serve as an entrepreneurship platform that connects creatives, emerging entrepreneurs and university students, with the private sector, government institutions and international development agencies by having events around economic growth, employability, employment creation, effective collaborations on commercialisation, monetisation of intellectual property and sustainable development.
The event will teach university students how they can leverage opportunities in the global space for professional development and be competitive in terms of craft competence, as envisioned by the National Development Strategy in promoting the authentic Zimbabwean Narrative.
According to Mazibisa, through crowdfunding, this year, they have introduced a business pitch competition, where US$3 000 cash will be won by start-ups, individuals and varsities.
“The first winner will walk away with US$1000 to improve and scale their business. Winners will also go through mentorship, accelerator and business incubation programs to continuously improve their entrepreneurial skills and network base.
“High school students also stand a chance to win in the Best Student Idea category. By introducing pitch competitions, we are positioning ourselves to be one of the leading continental entrepreneurial networking platforms for Industry Insights, Access to Financial Capital, and Leveraging Social Networks,” said Mazibisa
Hustlers Summit was established in 2022.
On their first edition, held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), they hosted South Africa’s multi-millionaire Dj Sbu.
In the following year, they hosted Zambia’s multi-millionaire Dumisani Lingamangali Ncube, at a successful event held at ZITF.
Online Reporter