Buchanan — Dorsla Farcarthy, Team Leader at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is encouraging business entrepreneurs, especially Growth Accelerator Liberia Grantees, to be their own bosses in the economy.
"So, this is an opportunity to be your own boss and grow your own business. I know you are in competition, but you have to keep in mind that this is a do-or-die situation," he stressed.
Farcarthy made the remarks on Wednesday, August 2, at the start of a three-day Visioning Bootcamp for Growth Accelerator Liberia-MSMEs and Clean/Renewable Energy Cohorts, and a workshop for agricultural cooperative cohort currently ongoing in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
However, the Bootcamp for the MSMEs and Clean/Renewable Cohort is intended to help entrepreneurs sharpen their focus, set ambitious goals, and pave the way for transformative growth. It is being facilitated by Growth Africa, with Nairobi, Kenya and co-facilitated by Business Start-up Center Monrovia while experts from the East Africa Development Associates will facilitate the Agriculture Cooperative Cohort on Thursday and Friday.
The grantees are being mentored on several business development modules ranging; finance model development, leadership, setting development targets, customer and vendor profiling and making proper financial and narrative report.
The UNDP Liberia Inclusive Growth Team Leader indicated that Liberia is the only country in the world where the government is the highest employer, adding that, all around the world, the private sector is the engine of growth, not the government.
"So, believe in yourself because you can start with yourself the same way, and tomorrow we can start having a lot of Made in Liberia. That is what we need to grow what we eat and eat what we grow," he declared.
Farcarthy observed that everybody wants to work in government; as a result, it puts too much pressure on the government, but if they are growing their own businesses, they can employ people and empower people, and this is the kind of vision UNDP needs.
"So, as UNDP, we have a reliable partner such as the Accountability Lab Liberia and iCampus Liberia. We saw this vision, and we decided that probably there is something that we can test, and probably other partners can see it, and we can use the result to advocate for more resources," he told the Growth Accelerator Liberian Grantees.
It can be recalled that recently UNDP and its implementing partner, iCampus Liberia, announced twenty promising Liberian businesses and agricultural cooperatives that were awarded substantial grants of US$40,000 each from the esteemed cohort three Growth Accelerator Liberia programme in Monrovia.
The program, which is heavily supported by the UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, provides promising entrepreneurs with mentorship, financial support, and other resources that are needed to scale up business operations, which is currently ongoing in Buchanan.
Under this initiative, MSMEs owners have to submit proposals outlining their growth plans, financial needs, and potential for development and then compete with each other for the funds.
This year's winners, who are part of the third cohort, were drawn from a pool of diverse representations across various sectors, including agriculture and manufacturing, and walked away with US$40,000.
Farcarthy added, "We will all be winners here at the end of the day. All of us here are going to learn a lifelong skill set that will remain with us even if we do not make it through. There are skills that we can be proud of and that we can use to even establish and grow our own businesses."
He continued, "So, we have come to encourage you to do your best because, for us, we believe in quality. So, if you reach this stage, it's about doing your utmost best, believing in yourself, trusting your abilities, and knowing that as you come, you're here for serious business."
Farcarthy told the participants that being at the visioning bootcamp is meant for a purpose, and over the next few days and weeks, "we hope that the successful participants will grab and ensure that they learn and have enough knowledge that they can use for their own future endeavors."
He, therefore, said the dependency syRank ( + / - )ndrome on the government is too huge, so at the end of the day, the government himself is belly-making it, but if the participants catch the vision where they can do things with their hands, knowledge, and mind, the better it will be for them as Liberians.
Also speaking, Madam Angel Banda, Assistant Commerce Minister for Small Business Administration, who provided a few words of encouragement, told the participants to appreciate UNDP for its continued support of the government of Liberia and its people.
Banda also expressed gratitude to the implementing partner, iCampus, the Business Start-up Center, and Accountability Lab Liberia for the Growth Accelerator Liberia Programme that is providing training and preparing SMEs for their successful business journey.
She said, "To all of you participants here, please make sure to consider this opportunity as a tool for your successful story for our future entrepreneurs and start-up business owners to inspire and direct them for the growth of our country's economy."
For his part, Luther Jeke, Chief Executive Officer of iCampus Liberia, earlier on provided an overview of the Bootcamp.
Jeke in his statement disclosed that the program is in its third year selected winners from a pool of diverse representations across various sectors.
"For this year, we received a total of 177 applications for the MSMEs and clean and renewable energy cohorts,"
"My advice to these small businesses that are fortunate to have won this grant is to use the money for its intended purpose,"
Jeke reiterated. "That is, scale and grow your business. If you need more human resources, employ more people (Youth, Women ands People living disabilities); if you need to buy more machinery and equipment, buy them to improve your business.
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Meanwhile participants has hailed the BootCamp as a game changer in their entrepreneurial journey.
Grantee; Daniel Padmore disclose that the day lessons alone has given him a who new structural outlook of his business.
"I am going to set up new sections in my business. At first it was all about me doing everything. The lesson on leadership, that spoke about separating yourself from the business was so key and important to me" Daniel narrated.
He also also disclosed further that he has gotten to who a real entrepreneur is.
Daniel's company A-1 Technical Engineering Solutions is one of the five Clean/Renewable grantees in the years program.
For her part; the CEO of Mako's Fruit, Mariam Meiplay expressed delight about the modules discussed at day one of the BootCamp.
"I really enjoy the lectures and the lesson, especially the one on leadership, it was so detailed and for me it was the my best part of the entire day because it's going to help me restructure my business ". She outlined.
The BootCamp concludes on Friday with roadmaps set by businesses and Agriculture Cooperatives to be able to access the Growth Accelerator Liberia Grant of $40,000 United dollars each.
