Zambian Breweries Plc has launched an initiative to support youth entrepreneurs in the Copperbelt Region, partnering with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the 60 million Kwacha ($11,341) project.
The pairing sees Zambian Breweries up its youth empowerment and enterprise development activities, with the brewer donating Coca-Cola Mobile trolleys and soft drinks to the project, to enable the youth participants to set up individual enterprises.
Under the agreement, the ILO will provide technical support and will be responsible for providing training for participants which it will do using the official ILO Gender and Entrepreneurship training manual.
Announcing the new project, Anele Malumo Managing Director of Zambian Breweries commented on the long-term value of the initiative for all involved parties, saying: “We are definitely creating shared value and, through our value chain, we are providing real and tangible business opportunities for young local entrepreneurs that benefit both the corporation and the stakeholders involved.”
Noting that the partners hope to encourage independence among the youth participants, Malumo added: “This programme will endeavour to discourage long-term dependency, especially in the case of the small entrepreneurs as the “Shared Value” principle aims to create an interdependent relationship with mutual benefits to all.”
In the first phase of the project’s implementation, 30 youth participants will be selected for the programme, and will each receive a mobile trolley along with two crates of soft drinks by way of start-up capital.
Zambian Breweries will also provide trolley maintenance and train participants in product handling. In the initial stages, three youth organisations in the Copperbelt region have been identified to take part in the project – Mackenzie Youth in Ndola, Roan Youth in Luanshya, and Yew Tree Youth in Kitwe. In the second phase of the programme as the project expands youth organisations in other towns will also be invited to join the programme.
