“Students should not solely depend on government and other companies for employment opportunities but rather create employment for themselves through entrepreneurship… As UZABECA, we believe everyone is born an entrepreneur. So students should not depend on others for employment,” Says UNZABECA president Collins Mulenga. The University of Zambia Business and Economics Association (UNZABECA) has called on students to develop their entrepreneurship skills in order to earn a living after school.
UNZABECA President, Collins Mulenga said students should not solely depend on government and other companies for employment opportunities but rather create employment for themselves through entrepreneurship.
“As UZABECA we believe everyone is born an entrepreneur. So students should not depend on others for employment opportunities after completion of University studies but rather enhance their entrepreneurship skills,” he said.
Mr. Mulenga said in order to help students develop their entrepreneurship skills, the Association developed an initiative dubbed ‘Let’s sell and advertise’ whose sole purpose was to create a platform for students to showcase their entrepreneurship skills.
“Everyone needs such a platform as the ‘let’s sell and advertise’ to challenge them to expose their skills and broaden their creativeness,” he added.
He was speaking to the Lusaka Star in an interview during the third session of the UNZABECA ‘Let’s Sell and Advertise’ at the University of Zambia (UNZA) Sports Hall which would run from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th of November 2014.
Meanwhile, a fourth year UNZA student, Elizabeth Nampasa who was advertising and selling self-made bow-ties said students should not limit their creativity to what they are taught in class but rather be open minded.
She added that she was able to generate income from the ‘chitenge bow-ties’ as they were a trending fashion for ladies and gentlemen at the moment.
“I started this business with a friend of mine Kakweji Kapanji because we had the same idea as she was dealing with afro-centric designs,” Miss Nampasa explained.
And Kakweji Kapanji, Miss Nampasa’s colleague, is a young entrepreneur who buys chitenge and adds to different types of shirts and also makes bow-ties out of the same chitenge materials.
Miss Kapanji said she saw the need to boost her ‘afro-centric design’ business due to increased demand of her products fellow students as well as outside customers.
“Our aspirations after school are to start supplying these bow-ties to big stores like Mr Price so that they can be reselling them for us,” She said.
At the same exhibition, a fourth year student Chitendi Chiyeni who was doing pedicure and manicure said entrepreneurship was about doing what one liked and generate income from it.
“I started doing nails first on myself and I enjoyed it. I later realised I could actually make money out of what I enjoyed doing; and here I am today, a young entrepreneur whose dreams won’t end here,” she noted.
In a random survey conducted by the Lusaka Star crew showed that most students who bought items at the exhibition were satisfied with the organisation and types of products they bought.
Most of the students have praised the organising committee for the initiative and urged other Associations on campus to come up with such events.
Some of the major companies participating at the exhibition include Mudd and Mr Price stores.