BAC Start-Up for students to kick start businesses

Matobo wins the Battlefield’s top prize

Botswana Accountancy College (BAC) Executive Directors Serty Leburu says the BAC’s student Start-up Investment Battlefield delivered in collaboration with Global Expo Botswana (GEB) is a platform of investing in students while they are still in school to start-up businesses.

Leburu said during the competition’s grand finale on Wednesday which pitted the top five students against each other.   

She said the initiative will help in building entrepreneurs who will contribute to the transformation of the country’s economy, hence creating employment opportunities as well. The top three students won P25, 000, 15,000 and P 10,000 cash prizes respectively to fund implementation of their business proposals.

“This initiative is facilitated in a manner that it exposes students to the core of entrepreneurship; explore capital markets by shaping their business acumen; hence producing market ready graduates,” she charged.

Leburu anticipates that the youth boosts of interesting business ideas which can be able to close the gaps that exists in the society ‘with the advantage of the digital solutions that one can tap into for business utilisation as well.

“BAC in partnership with Botswana Investment Trade Centre (BITC) made a bold move to nurture their innovative entrepreneurship ideas. BITC as a stakeholder partner is key in creating space or opening doors for the entrepreneurs’ businesses to flourish when the ideas get implemented. Moreover, there is a need for policy reviews in the business sector with regard to accommodating viable ideas of the capable entrepreneurs in the making,” Leburu added.

Tertiary Education Assistant Minister Fidelis Molao applauded BAC and BITC for creating a platform that will enable students to pitch up their business ideas in a set-up that will enable potential investors to support the ideas further.

Molao urged the winners of the competition to wisely utilise the funds and look for more sponsors for their enterprises as well.

The BAC Student Start UP GEB Investment Battlefield was won by Mothusi Matobo who walked home with P25,000. Aisha Tapela came second,  winning P 15,000, with Bonno Motswaiso finishing third and winning P 10,000.

In an interview with competition winner Mothusi Matobo who proposes to start modernized fish farming has hailed BAC and GEB through BITC for making his business dream to become a reality.

He said he will be looking forward to continue working with the project coordinators as to ensure that he utilizes the funds well adding that he will intends to look for other financial assistance through initiatives such as the Youth Development Fund (YDF) in order to expand the capacity of the business.