News Releases
ImagineNations Network Launches Regional Site to Promote African Entrepreneurship
Partnership with Zambian Youth Investment Trust Provides Local Perspective
Nov. 24, 2011 – ImagineNations Network (imagine-network.org) today announced the official launch of a regional site, called ImagineBusiness, to engage entrepreneurs in Zambia and the region in the development of youth-led businesses.
ImagineNations Network (INN) partnered with YAPYA Youth Investment Trust of Zambia (YAPYA) to develop an innovative and dynamic business development portal to promote entrepreneurship, financial literacy and business development. ImagineBusiness is a social networking platform for entrepreneurs to connect to their peers, advice, mentors and resources to help them build businesses and livelihoods around the world. It was designed to complement the Zambian government’s efforts in reducing the high levels of youth unemployment by encouraging entrepreneurship among young adults.
“Youth unemployment continues to be a significant challenge in Zambia, and the Internet offers a transformative value of providing the user with fast and convenient information and networks,” said Stefanie Harrington, ImagineNations Network’s program director. “Imagine-Network.org is about creating opportunities globally and locally, and the Zambian site will enable its participants to connect with thousands of entrepreneurs and mentors locally, as well as worldwide. Mentors can play a critical role in business and enterprise development by providing industry and technical experience and helping with organizational strategies to help initiatives and ideas to grow and create opportunities.”
ImagineBusiness was announced at a youth economic empowerment business symposium as part of “Proudly Zambian 2011” Expo, a premier national event, hosted by the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM), that includes exhibits by leading local manufacturers and producers of goods and services, held November 24-26 in Lusaka. World Bank Country Representative Kundhavi Kadiresan attended as guest of honor.
With the local support of YAPYA, ImagineBusiness will provide access to contextualized content and an online market, which is particularly relevant to young Zambian entrepreneurs. Additionally, the portal will help facilitate the development of the Business Development Services (BDS) market as it will house a database of BDS providers from within Zambia and beyond to help small and medium enterprises locate and engage the BDS providers.
“YAPYA is in a unique position to ensure that the portal continuously meets the needs and interests of its participants and will continuously work closely with others to provide the tools and resources necessary for young people to succeed,” noted Harrington.
More than 500 young people attended the youth economic empowerment business symposium, which addressed several critical issues of youth empowerment, such as access to finance, special considerations for economic empowerment of young women and the roles youths play in technological transformation.
About ImagineNations Network
ImagineNations Network (Imagine-network.org) is a platform of global and local portals that engages and connects young entrepreneurs to each other and to mentors, supporters, financing sources and markets to spur the development and growth of youth-led businesses. ImagineNations Network (INN) offers a one-stop platform for young people, NGOs, supporters, financing sources, commercial outlets, and others to interact virtually to promote youth-led entrepreneurship and economic development. The platform was developed by ImagineNations Group (www.imaginenations.org) in collaboration with Mercy Corps, and with support from Cisco Foundation and the Global Partnership for Youth Investment (GPYI) of the World Bank. ImagineNations® Group is a partnership-based global network that provides aspiring entrepreneurs with the financial capital, technologies, and business/leadership coaching that young women and men need in order to start micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises in emerging and frontier markets.
About YAPYA
YAPYA Youth Investment Trust of Zambia (YAPYA) supports and encourages the empowerment of young people in Zambia by increasing their lifetime employability and entrepreneurship opportunities. This is done through the provision of financial and business development support with emphasis on skills development, industrial placements, access to markets and investment capital. YAPYA is currently being supported by the ImagineNations Group®, the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and Lumwana Mining Company Plc.