Monrovia, Liberia; September 19, 2023: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in partnership with the Business Startup Center (BSC) Monrovia, with support from UNDP through its Livelihood & Employment Creation project, has conducted Business Skills Training and Pitching for 300 youth start-up businesses.

The 300 young people were selected to participate in the two-day exercises on 13-15 September 2023 for start-up grants of USD $500 at the close of the application process for the Youth Startup Business Plan Competition 2023 cohort III.

The participants were drawn from seven counties: Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, Nimba, and Lofa counties after being selected from a total number of 1,739 young people who applied.

During the training, the youth were introduced to business and financial planning and presented their business ideas to a panel of judges in the hope of securing the USD $500 grants. They will also benefit from coaching and mentorship support when developing and refining their business ideas.

The ideas cut across all sectors including agriculture, information technology, transportation, food processing, manufacturing, etc.

The BSC Start-up Competition aims to foster entrepreneurship among Liberia's youth, identifying their needs and challenges, and developing innovative and creative solutions.

This year's activity is the third in a row with last year attracting over 900 applications from youth who expressed their ideas for technical and financial support to expand their operations, create income and employment opportunities, and provide goods/services to their clients while contributing to economic growth and development.

UNDP and the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are working to support the development of a strong and vibrant private sector through business development that is aimed at contributing to poverty reduction and the empowerment of young people and persons living with disabilities.