The Sunday News
Charity Chikara, Business Reporter
TRADE promotion body, ZimTrade has initiated a youth export incubation programme titled Eagle’s Nest for youth entrepreneurs, meant to ensure young businesspeople produce quality and standard products that meet export standards.
The programme which is targeted at the 18-35-year-old entrepreneurs, will include international market linkages, tailor-made financial packages, facilitation of international trade fairs and mentorship.
In an interview, the Youth Export Incubation programme representative Ms Jacky Nyathi said the idea behind the initiative was to inculcate an export culture among the youth.
“In this season we will see youths coming forward with innovative ideas that can help them stand a chance to find their way into the international export market. The youths should look out for this opportunity. We are trying to reach out to our youths, we do not want anyone to be left behind as we move towards Vision 2030 in a bid to attain the upper middle-income economy,” she said.
Ms Nyathi said the incubation programme will be divided into three phases where 10 out of 100 youth-led companies will be chosen to participate in various training and interventions to capacitate them for export markets.
“The Eagle’s Nest is currently receiving applications from all provinces in the country, we will then have the pitch week where the youths will pitch their innovative ideas to a panel of judges.
They need to convince the judges that they have what it takes for them to be considered an export company, the incubator stage where the youth are nurtured, given handholding-support, and then we will have the international experts from Netherlands, Germany, coming to further capacitate the youths and prepare them for international markets,” she said.
She said the winner of Eagle’s Nest programme will get a chance to receive support from ZimTrade to attend trade fairs in ideal markets specific to their products and a six-month expert intervention from international organisations to ensure their businesses scale up and improve the product competitiveness on the export markets.
“In terms of the focus sectors, it’s looking at the value addition and horticultural production. I am sure we will have more youths excited in this initiative.
Small and Medium Enterprises will receive training in the following: marketing and branding for international competitiveness, export packaging training, quality management, financial management and intellectual property management.”
