Monrovia, Liberia- August 21, 2018--- The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with UNDP on Monday, August 13, 2018 commenced a training for youth groups through the BOSS project’s Business Plan Competition at the BWI in Kakata city, Margibi County to enhance both the technical and administrative skills of young people in preparation of the second round of the competition.

The Business Plan Competition which was launched in Kakata city on June 5, 2018 envisioned using the entrepreneurial challenges as a basis to develop a culture of entrepreneurship so that youths can establish innovative start-up companies that will provide alternative jobs to graduates at BWI and to also develop an entrepreneurship curriculum to form part of the institution training subjects and build the teaching staff capacity delivery and sustainability.

The training on BWI campus between August 13th -17th 2018 was well attended by twelve (12) youth groups which were vetted from twenty four (24) groups that summited their business ideas to the competition. The program also was attended by representatives from UNDP, BWI and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry was represented by Minister Alphonso Kuiah Assistant Minister for Administration and Mr. Samuel Jacobs, Director for Capacity Development and Performance Monitoring from the Bureau of Small Business Administration (SBA). The project aims to improve the well-being of young people in Liberia by supporting technical vocational education training through the provision of business opportunities for graduates.

This competition will enable young people to start teaming up and creating their own businesses. The five days training aims also to encourage start-ups and provide development for a strong Private Sector to buttress government efforts. The Business Plan competition has the potential to create the next group of entrepreneurs that Liberia urgently needs in many key sectors.

Meanwhile, the Assistant minister for Administration, Hon. Alphonso Kuiah in his brief statement thanked the UNDP family and the Administration of BWI for their social and economic support to the Boss project and prayed that this project will not only be limited to Margibi county, but it will also have impact in many parts of our motherland.

Hon. Kuiah, further encouraged the young people to pay serious attention to their facilitators. He said the knowledge which will be acquired will change our landscape socially and economically. He said it will also create jobs, reduce the country’s dependency on foreign inputs, and reduce the stress on national government in the provision of services and many other areas.

The Minister concluded by indicating that young people are the foundation to development and the Business plan competition for youth enterprise development for TVET is key to national development. Therefore, the youth of our country should focus on any opportunity that will be provided by government and its partners to enhance their capacity.