AIESEC eyes Pakasa Forum to empower youth

By Innocent Anguyo

The Ugandan chapter of AIESEC, a global youth network that aims to impact the world through leadership development experiences- plans to make the best of the Vision Group’s popular Pakasa forum to empower young people with entrepreneurial skills.

The fifth Pakasa Forum will be held this weekend- with emphasis on rousing university students, recent graduates, unemployed youth, and secondary school students into considering entrepreneurship as a cradle of livelihood.

The forthcoming forum, organized in partnership with Youth to Business (Y2B) Forum, a function of AIESEC in Uganda, will take place from 8:00am to 2:00pm this Saturday, April 11, at the Kampala Parents’ School Auditorium in Naguru-off the Lugogo Bypass in Kampala.

In an interview in the Vision Group boardroom yesterday, Marie Kvendset- the national vice chairperson of AIESEC, Business Development- said she couldn’t see a better platform to reach out to a wide array of Ugandan youth than the Pakasa Forum.

“We are familiar with the reach and influence of the Pakasa Forum in Uganda. Our own initiative, the Uganda Youth to Business Forum aims to provide a platform for youth and students to engage with leaders and successful business personalities. The combination of both will have a greater impact,” said Kvendset.

“A larger proportion of the Ugandan population is youthful. Uganda has one of the highest rates of business start-ups but most of these don’t last due to lack of business management skills. We believe arming the young with practical skills of entrepreneurship will go a long way in shaping the future of the country.”           

The Forum, Kvendset said will therefore make special reference to mind-set change, business management, innovation and sustenance of business.

At the end of the forthcoming Pakasa Forum, Kvendset says she expects multitudes of youth to be fired-up to initiative their own businesses- especially after listening to presentations and experiences of young whilst successful entrepreneurs.

 AISEC will equally use the event to enlighten the youth about some of its popular services such as; global students exchange programme, and international volunteer and internship programme.

 AIESEC is an international non-governmental not-for-profit organization that provides young people with leadership development and cross-cultural global internship and volunteer exchange experiences across the globe, with a focus to empower young people so they can make a positive impact on society.

The largest youth-run organization in the world, the AIESEC network includes over 100,000 members in 126 countries and territories.

Emmanuel Katongole, the Executive Chairman Cipla Quality Chemicals Limited will give a keynote address at the forum that will feature a panel of four young entrepreneurs at the forefront of breaking new ground in enterprise.

Robert Kabushenga, the Vision group chief executive officer will moderate the proceedings.

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