Enterprise Uganda - Your One-stop Enterprise Development Centre

Empowering Youths to Create Jobs

Business & Enterprise Start-up Tool (BEST)

Enterprise Uganda with support from the government of Uganda launched an initiative in 2007 to provide entrepreneurship and business skills to the youth to enable them start their own businesses as an alternative to chasing few jobs. The overall objective of the BEST programme is to build the capacity of young people to participate in employment creation to reduce unemployment rates.

Unemployment particularly among the youth is a major concern to Government. The common impediments include lack of entrepreneurship and business acumen and limited access to affordable finance.

In Uganda, for every one job in the formal sector, there are over 50 people struggling for it. Thousands of new graduates compete with those who completed earlier for the few jobs made available each year. This means the majority of new entrants in the labour market every year hardly find gainful work.

Bakeinyaga Jonus started her drug shop in Rutooma, Mbarara District

The 5-day BEST training equips the youth with the confidence and practical skills to start and run successful enterprises. It identifies and confronts negative attitudes, beliefs which act as obstacles to creating jobs by young people and re-orientates mindsets suited for a globalized business village. It also builds their skills to tap natural creativity and innovation in identifying business opportunities; offers practical literacy in financial discipline; explores the various sources and management of capital; and offers advice on the choice of business partners.

BEST does not necessarily promise the youth a smooth sailing after the training. NO! The reality is that business success is never easy. But the training is able to point to the participants the typical pitfalls that, if not averted, could make the entrepreneurship choice more agonizing.

Since the program kicked off 7431 youths have been trained in 13 workshops – 6 in Kampala and 7 upcountry in Nebbi, Mbarara, Bushenyi, Kamuli, Buyende and Rukungiri Districts. With just one week’s practical training and a few post-training follow ups, our educated youths have regained control of their destinies through private enterprise and have created jobs for themselves and other youth and in some cases their parents.

Kampala Youths in a workshop in Nakawa, August 2009 Bushenyi Youths participate in the training in September 2009

To sign up for the programme contact Enterprise Uganda on Plot 38 Lumumba Avenues, P.O. Box 24581 Kampala, Tel: +2563123841000 -e-mail: admin.sec@enterprise.co.ug; info@enterprise.co.ug