#YouthSummit: If You Ever Wanted To Start A Business, This Is The Ultimate Plan For You!

Ladies and gentlemen, there is currently an exhibition going on at the KICC that seeks to bring together the countries of the Great Lakes Region together in a bid to combat unemployment and to empower the youth. The exhibition is being hosted in Kenya by the Cabinet Secretaryof Devolution and Planning, Anne Waiguru. Who outlined the objectives of the exhibition in her opening speech which you can read below:

 It gives me pleasure to stand before you this afternoon and open the youth exhibitions during 8th ICGLR special youth summit organized by my Ministry. The purpose of the exhibitions is to show case some of the youth employment and empowerment initiatives undertaken by government of Kenya, partners and youth. This is very important week for all of us as we gather to address the youth unemployment challenge in our region.

The exhibition has been organized to run concurrently with the 8 Youth Summit to provide an avenue for sharing knowledge among young entrepreneurs, youth serving agencies and service providers from the ICGLR member states, development partners, private sector and other stakeholders.

I wish to encourage all young men and women attending this exhibition to share views on how to grow their businesses and enterprises by visiting other entrepreneurs and other displays in the exhibition. It is clear that if you harness your energy and ideas it can be tapped into business opportunities. By doing so you will be self-reliant, enjoy decent work while creating job opportunities for other young men and women.

I wish to thank all private sector players, including Kenya Private Sector Alliance and organizations like ILO who have been at forefront in promoting youth internship and entrepreneurship ventures for our young people. We want our young people to lay good foundation and succeed in running their enterprises and business ventures.

Formal employment in our region is scarce in the labour market. However, with your brilliant ideas and investment in self-employment, it will surely result in expansion of infrastructure, promotion of investment and job creation. Young people need to embrace entrepreneurship.

The Government of Kenya has invested in Business development services through existing institutions within my ministry and other government departments. I encourage the Kenyan youth to visit the stands and seek information that will assist them grow their businesses.

This exhibition was organized in order to give Kenyan Youth and other exhibitors an opportunity to share experiences business initiatives and successes with other exhibitors attending the international conference on the Great Lakes Region. Other youth entrepreneurs have also show cased some of the products they have created. As you walk around the exhibition, you can expect to see;

1. ICGLR Country stands by Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi and the

ICGLR secretariat

2. ILO youth supported programs in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda

3. Huduma Center

4. National Youth Service programmes and equipment

5. Youth Enterprise Development project(YEDEF Supported initiatives)

6. AGPO registration process

7. Uwezo fund information Desk

8. ICT related innovations

9. Value added products from various youth groups.

10.Beautiful African Beads, clothes, soapstone carvings, , paintings and other artworks from Kenya

I wish to encourage all attending the exhibition to inform other youth to come and visit the stands and experience many youth employment initiatives within ICGLR region, private sector, development partners and other youth stakeholders.

As I conclude, I encourage all young people in this gathering to embrace entrepreneurship as the way to the future in business growth, employment creation and improvement of their livelihood.

It is now my humble duty and pleasure to declare this ICGLR YOUTH

EXHIBITION officially open.

Thank you.