Clean Botswana
Through Kgalagadi Beverages Trust, KBL and BBL are recognised by external stakeholders as national leaders on CSI. In 2004, Kgalagadi Beverages Trust (KBT) launched KickStart with an aim of creating a culture of entrepreneurship among young people between the ages of 18 and 30. Botswana is faced with significant levels of unemployment and KickStart is an appropriate continued response to the country’s national priority to create jobs, particularly amongst the country’s youth, by providing them with entrepreneurship opportunities through skills development. KBL and BBL are proud of the achievements of KickStart considering that as a leading corporate, the companies have the inherent responsibility to care for the wellbeing of the society. KBT initially established the programme to support efforts in addressing youth unemployment in Botswana. It later flourished to become one that encourages a spirit of entrepreneurship amongst the youth and a platform to stimulate sustainable enterprise development. Through KickStart, KBT has established and grown a significant number of small businesses owned by Botswana youth. KickStart provides young entrepreneurs with monetary grants for business start-ups and the expansion of existing businesses, and also focuses on outcomes-based business skills training and mentorship. The programme promotes business awareness and builds capability among young people through training, providing grants as start-up capital, as well as mentoring and assistance during the business set-up phase. A mentor is commissioned to monitor grant beneficiaries and to help them run their businesses prudently for the first twelve months.
Each year, KickStart has seen budding and existing entrepreneurs enter the competition. The primary intention is that candidates develop sound business ideas into viable and sustainable businesses. Many of these businesses have succeeded in doing that and gone on to become significant companies, employing large numbers of people. These companies have contributed to both job creation and the broader Botswana economy. To date, KickStart has distributed over US$1.2 million to youth entrepreneurship projects and provided business skills training to more than 90 young entrepreneurs. The programme has enabled more than 22 young Batswana entrepreneurs to realise their dreams of owning a business. In addition, over 80% of the supported businesses are still in operation.
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KBT KickStart has become the country’s leading and largest entrepreneurship programme within the private sector with the programme having become a benchmark for successful small enterprise development.
KBT KickStart has become the country’s leading and largest entrepreneurship programme within the private sector with the programme having become a benchmark for successful small enterprise development.
Kgalagadi Breweries (Pty) Ltd Tel: +267 395 3619 Fax: +267 390 1447 Botswana Breweries (Pty) Ltd Tel: +267 395 3831 Fax: +267 391 1924
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