How I won the BBC award - Ssegawa
Nov 19, 2007
DAVID Ssegawa, the BBC young entrepreneurship award winner, on Thursday thrilled the youth at the Commonwealth Youth Forum with his address, detailing his innovation that earned him $2,000 (about sh3.5m).
By Milton Olupot and Alfred Wasike
DAVID Ssegawa, the BBC young entrepreneurship award winner, on Thursday thrilled the youth at the Commonwealth Youth Forum with his address, detailing his innovation that earned him $2,000 (about sh3.5m).
Ssegawa recently won the Faidika Na BBC (Prosper with the BBC) Award that earned him the money and a laptop in the young entrepreneur category, which attracted over 5,000 Swahili-speaking participants from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
For a business to succeed, Ssegawa said, one should have a vision and originality of ideas.
“Vision is the ability to see what naked eyes can’t see about the future,†he said as the youth continuously cheered and clapped. “When all strength is gone during trying times, it is vision which gives you power to be focused and go on.
“You have to find good people in line with your good idea and you have got to work hard.â€
Ssegawa’s proposal that won him the money was a candle-making plant.
He said it would save the country millions of shillings spent on importing candles from China and help people access them at a cheaper price.
He said power shortages had led to the increase in the price of fuel and demand for candles. “I will buy a machine for melting and molding the wax for the benefit of the local community.â€
Andrew Fiddaman, the director Youth Business International (UK), lamented that the youth make up almost half of the world’s unemployed population, with over 1.5 billion of them in developing countries. He observed that the youth lacked access to capital, collateral security, guidance and were hampered by the high levels of bureaucracy within government and finance institutions.
The participants called for the involvement of their respective governments in ensuring that the youth access loans without stringent measures relating to collateral.
They said youth should be facilitated with business management training and access to professional advice.
President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday opened the forum being held under the theme, ‘Breaking Barriers: Unleashing young people’s potential for development’.
DAVID Ssegawa, the BBC young entrepreneurship award winner, on Thursday thrilled the youth at the Commonwealth Youth Forum with his address, detailing his innovation that earned him $2,000 (about sh3.5m).
Ssegawa recently won the Faidika Na BBC (Prosper with the BBC) Award that earned him the money and a laptop in the young entrepreneur category, which attracted over 5,000 Swahili-speaking participants from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
For a business to succeed, Ssegawa said, one should have a vision and originality of ideas.
“Vision is the ability to see what naked eyes can’t see about the future,†he said as the youth continuously cheered and clapped. “When all strength is gone during trying times, it is vision which gives you power to be focused and go on.
“You have to find good people in line with your good idea and you have got to work hard.â€
Ssegawa’s proposal that won him the money was a candle-making plant.
He said it would save the country millions of shillings spent on importing candles from China and help people access them at a cheaper price.
He said power shortages had led to the increase in the price of fuel and demand for candles. “I will buy a machine for melting and molding the wax for the benefit of the local community.â€
Andrew Fiddaman, the director Youth Business International (UK), lamented that the youth make up almost half of the world’s unemployed population, with over 1.5 billion of them in developing countries. He observed that the youth lacked access to capital, collateral security, guidance and were hampered by the high levels of bureaucracy within government and finance institutions.
The participants called for the involvement of their respective governments in ensuring that the youth access loans without stringent measures relating to collateral.
They said youth should be facilitated with business management training and access to professional advice.
President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday opened the forum being held under the theme, ‘Breaking Barriers: Unleashing young people’s potential for development’.