YOUTH ARE VITAL TO DEVELOPMENT DEMOCRACY- MMASEKGOA MASIRE-MWAMBA

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General. Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba. addressing participants at YALDA 2012

“Young people are vital to the process of development democracy and participation as they have an enormous contribution to make” says Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General. Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba.

She made this known why delivering the key address note on “Differentiating yourself from the rest” at the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA) 2012 Conference.  Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba told participants that youth are not passengers on development change, but have an exceptional role to play in ensuring good governance.“We at Commonwealth have the responsibility as well as the right to participate in making change” (Citizen Youth Common wealth Youth Summit 2012).

Furthermore, she advised the participants to differentiate themselves as Youth and create a unique brand. Being different is creating awareness, advocating and communicating your ideas. You must grade yourself, your value and contribution to your society, she said. Also, Mmasekgoa places emphasis on being relevant, being true and knowing your core competences as a youth.

BE THE FIRST MOVER OR FIRST COPIER IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET

Mr. Segun Akintemi of Renaissance Credit and Mr. Ade Adeolu of Standard Chartered London during the panel session of YALDA 2012

Innovation is working at a boundary line, identifying and working on an idea. Africa is abound of ideas but lack of financial service in most African Countries has posed as a major challenge to many entrepreneurs from implementing their ideas.

According to Mr. Segun Akintemi of Renaissance Credit during the “Financial Services Ideas” section of Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA) 2012 CONFERENCE, Financial Service is a Vehicle to make your ideas get done. This is the ability to see opportunities and grab them. Akintemi said that if Africans can package their ideas, they will get sponsor. More so, entrepreneurs must be market wise that is knowing the type of market you are investing in. The Participants were made to know that financial intelligence is acquired through practice which is done by knowing and studying your immediate environment.

Furthermore, another facilitator at the session Mr. Ade Adeolu, of Standard Chartered London said to be innovative, you must either be the first mover or a first copier with a unique strategy in a competitive market. You must understand the next intellectual point, the shift in parameters of a product as it is hardly impossible for a bank to give you a loan because of forecasted Intellectual Ability. He advised participants to know when to scale and how to scale their business ideas.