12 young entrepreneurs to hone their skills abroad

Twelve young entrepreneurs in development and leadership have been selected under the Norwegian government powered Fredskorpsetprogram, FK Norway, to hone their skills in an exchange program that will see them placed in 14 most priority countries.

Jan Olav Baaroy, the FK Norway deputy director general, said the program aimed at furnishing young professionals with relevant working skill and exposure to improve their competencies.

"The idea is for young professionals to learn from one another. If they can get the exposure, exchange ideas, it could spur development," the deputy director general said at an induction ceremony at Speke Resort Munyonyo.

The 12 Ugandans are part of a bigger 98 young professionals from 13 priority African countries plus Norway. Ten are female; two male. They will be in the ‘exchange countries' for six to ten months.

Four young professionals were posted to Kenya; three to Ethiopia; two to Madagascar. And one has been posted to each of Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Zambia.

Jan Olav Baaroy said it was important to facilitate young people to develop their leadership and entrepreneurship skills and to draft policies that place youth at a centre of development.

"There is need for relevant education an empowerment," said the deputy director general.

David Matovu, the FK South Representatives Africa team manager, said the initiative was part of Norway's strategic programs for developing countries.

"Each participant will be facilitated for the time they will be in the ‘exchange country'. We shall pay for their air tickets, accommodation, feeding and transport," said Matovu

"We are looking at institutional capacity building. The institution they are joining must be in a similar business as their mother institution," he explained.

Last year, over $8M (sh24b) was injected in the development of professional skills among 200 young people across the 14 countries.

Under the initiative, young professionals aged between 22 and 35 from the priority countries were facilitated on a staff exchange program expected to have improved the participants.

Diana Dushime, a land economics graduate from Makerere University, who will be travelling to Rwanda for six months, said she was excited about the program: what she will teach the young professionals at her ‘foster home' and what she will learn.

Kalkidan Abebaw from Ethiopia called on African governments to focus on motivating young people to start their own jobs. The young entrepreneur from the Aiesec NGO, which focuses on leadership potential among youth, said she intends to start an events management company after her exchange program.