Providing enterprise development opportunities for the young men and women of Lesotho is an exciting and fruitful endeavor. An integral component for the success of the Youth Employment initiative is the enthusiasm, commitment and workability of the youth employment proposals and schemes that are put forward by the youth entrepreneurs themselves. The joint UNDP/ILO/UNICEF project aims to support and develop these proposals to ensure that Lesotho’s youth devise their own community based approaches to enhance youth employment and combat poverty reduction in Lesotho. The project aims to adopt a strategy that deals with changing perceptions of students towards entrepreneurship, training out-of-school youth in entrepreneurship, and offering a micro-credit scheme to youth who have successfully developed sound business plans or who are already in business.

The Youth Business Fair was held in Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho on 15th November 2008. The theme of the Youth Business Fair was “Unveiling the nations Hidden energy and gaining a critical mass of human capital for effective action against poverty.”

The Fair was opened by the Honourable Minister, Ms. Lepono of the Ministry of Gender, Youth, Sport and Recreation. In her opening remarks she urged the youth of Lesotho to make the best use of this opportunity on enterprise development and to address the issue of HIV/AIDS, crime, violence and poverty in Lesotho.

The Youth Business Fir aimed to link young women and men to information, products and businesses to further develop the youth employment potential in Lesotho. Various Government departments also displayed their products and information.
 

Youth participants at the Youth Business Fair

Mohale's Hoek, Lesotho, November 15, 2008