In continued efforts to drive a focused and powerful Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship Agenda premised on true impact and sustainability, Stanbic Bank Botswana has appointed Larona J. Makgoeng to the role of Head of Incubator at AcceleR8, Stanbic Bank’s youth co-working space located at Fairgrounds Mall. Larona assumes the role with immediate effect, tasked with helping deliver on the mandate of the investment to change the narrative of youth in Botswana as regards employability and entrepreneurship.
AcceleR8 works to enable co-creating a sustainable solution on Youth Employability. Ultimately, this should contribute towards reducing youth unemployment, increasing export diversification and driving wealth creation for the Youth. It serves as a dynamic and fluid platform for youth to fuel innovation and ideation, as well as incubation for impactful businesses: a connected world to inspire youth’s next chapters, from talks and events to working groups, facilitated sessions, mentorship and coaching; and a curated space with training rooms, a boardroom, co-working spaces, and an event space.
Said Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Botswana, Samuel Minta, “As we shared then and we reiterate now, our commitment is steadfast – Our Youth are Our Future and we are unwavering in working to facilitate their growth to create the next generation of Africa’s millionaires and change the youth narrative in Botswana. Key to this was the official launch of the AcceleR8 co-working space. We are pleased to have appointed Larona, having undertaken a rigorous recruitment and screening process. Larona emerged as the perfect fit and we are confident in his capabilities and aligned vision for what we can and will do in this space.”
Larona has the passion, skill and experience to enable successfully delivering on the role. He boasts experience over 10 years and across 14 markets, including: Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, South-Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Prior to joining Stanbic Bank, Larona worked at Botswana Breweries, SABMiller Africa, and Verimark Franchises.
Though he wields diverse skills, his strongest background is in corporate affairs, thus providing the perfect understanding of stakeholder relations and public affairs central to a role such as this. Larona’s academic background has seen him earn a Bachelor of Social Sciences (University of Botswana); the Management Development Programme from Gordon Institute of Business Science (South Africa); and the Corporate Affairs Executive Programme (University of Cambridge Judge Business School, United Kingdom), amongst others. He has recently worked with initiatives in the enterprise space, thus enhancing his expertise in this area. This includes The Fresh Thinking Series, The Fresh Fund & Group 15 Investments.
Amongst Larona’s responsibilities in his new role will be: Strategy Formulation; Design and Management; Strategic Partnerships, Collaboration & Overall Stakeholder Engagement; Report on Impact / SEE; and working to continuously Improve and Grow the Platform.
Said Larona Makgoeng, “I am tremendously excited to be joining the Stanbic Bank Botswana family, and for such a project as incredible as this. There is much work to be done, and I believe I am truly up for the challenge, working with colleagues, partners and stakeholders to make progress real for Botswana’s youth. Botswana is our home and we drive her growth – our youth are integral to that journey.”