By George Mponda

Mzuzu, August 7, Mana: Board Chairperson for Mzuzu E-Hub, Julius Ng'oma has called on stakeholders to be supporting young entrepreneurs as a way of promoting youth participation in the development of the country.

Ng'oma was speaking Saturday in Mzuzu during a Business Incubation (Bizcubation) and Women in Business Pitch night where 12 young entrepreneurs made business presentations in their efforts to lobby for support for their initiatives.

"Through Bizcubation, we annually we release vacancies for young entrepreneurs to apply for. This year’s cohort had 44 drawn from across the country. They underwent a three- month intensive training in in leadership, branding and projections for their businesses and to enhance innovative reasoning," Ng'oma.

He said such trainings are important to upcoming entrepreneurs who are many in the country, hence the need for stakeholders to support to them as it is through entreprenuership that youth can contribute to the country’s economic development.

In his remarks, Data Centre Technical Project Manager for Public Private Commission, Paul Kanthambi said Malawian entrepreneurs have a role to ensure that Malawi 2063 of pillar an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation is achieved.

"Goverments prime focus is to implement efforts that will help entreprenuers especially youths to be innovative and generate wealth for our country.

 I therefore call for support to such initiatives as demonstrated by Mzuzu E-Hub where youths are best placed to offer solutions to economic problems," said Kanthambi.

Speaking in an interview, founder of Echo Tech Solutions, Alice Ndau who was given a prize of K2, 500,000.00 for emerging winner of the Bizcubation Pitch said her company which deals in solar energy products wants to offer energy solutions to small holder farmers in rural areas.

"There are a lot of Malawians who do not have access to electricity and I will use the money which I have won today to expand my business by engaging farmers’ cooperatives so that they should use solar powered equipment in irrigation farming,” said Ndau.

Besides Ndau under Youth Innovation Challenge, Joyce Mpuweni of Women in Biz also went away with K2, 500,000.00 as seed capital for their businesses.

Mzuzu E-Hub is a social enterprise based in Mzuzu that was established