In Your Words
"There is no denying the question on how important money is in starting and running an inclusive enterprise, however, if we as young people are serious about addressing inequalities then we cannot wait for financing to be available. Our work in addressing inequalities should be alongside advocacy to corporates, governments and multilateral organizations to improve young people's access to financing by removing institutional barriers that work against us.”
Sephutile Mhlongo, EDD 19 Young Leader and Co-Founder and Country Director of "The Knowledge Institute"
“What is often overlooked is that more than half of health services in sub-Sahara Africa are delivered through private facilities, by small entrepreneurs. If you support them to become financially sustainable, then it helps the communities and the country to get a better level of service.”
Marcel Kopmels, Business Development Manager at PharmAccess
“We need to think about how the economy can serve our planet—to have a life which doesn't require excessive resources from the planet, and which respects everyone without any questions of color, gender and other discrimination. That is the world that we need right now and the one we are going to need for tomorrow.”
David Maenda Kithoko, President of the Association Génération Lumière
“We work on problems that uplift the status of women and girls in Africa, and specifically in Kenya. Once you've built the capacity of a woman, you've built the capacity of the whole community. Women engage in entrepreneurial work, often, as a group, and there's more strength in group than in an individual.”
Roselyne Pepela, Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)
“The big development cooperations and the people they serve are at either end of the value chain. So, without inclusive businesses, I don’t think you'd be able to positively impact this development agenda.”
David Sodade, Founder and President at DevGRAD Professional Network
“Having seen so much suffering generated in my society, because of the atrocities of war, is what motivates me to create a trail blazing change in terms of what a country in peace can look like.”
Leonardo Párraga, Executive Director at BogotArt Foundation
"Smallholder farmers are the backbone of the economy of Uganda, because over 80% of Ugandans are subsistence farmers. So, for the economy to grow, it is important to include all the different players and help benefit the livelihoods of all communities in the country."
Peace Liz Sasha Musonge, Founder at Bakatoa
“There are many experts in social entrepreneurship, economic inclusion and inclusive business action. How do these experts speak to each other and engage with the policymakers and government workers? I think that this discussion has to be initiated.”
Hussein Jirma, National Drought Management Authority
"NGOs are trying to reach out to young audiences, but they do not really understand the young audience as they should be understood. So, we are building a creativity-based community platform and a street wear brand to tackle social inequality through creativity development in the global South."
Dee Abdullah Yusuf, Managing Director at Y.A.R. - Young Ambitious Rebels
