NBL director legal and corporate affairs, Mr Onapito Ekomoloit.
Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) has said it will soon open the 2021 call for proposals from youth entrepreneurs seeking support to create jobs.
Mr Onapito Ekomoloitl, the NBL director legal and corporate affairs, said last week that as a business, they were concerned of youth unemployment, which is threatening to turn into a crisis. This, he said, has been worsened by Covid-19 that has created uncertainty around businesses in the beverages and beer value chain.
“Since Covid-19 broke out, bars were closed affecting people in our value chains. Those working in bars, truck drivers, the sorghum and barley farmers whom we used to pay in excess of Shs10b, we are now not able to buy from them much,” he said, noting that in order to mitigate the impact of job cuts as a result of Covid-19, together with Enterprise Uganda, they had launched the Be a Millionaire Campaign, which will seek to support about 300 entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
Ms Rosemary Mutyabule, the Enterprise Uganda director business advisory and consultancy services, said youth must form support groups to exchange ideas. “You need to form a support system. Seek professional advice. Do not struggle alone,” she said.
Mr Allan Ssenyondwa, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda manager Covid-19 economic recovery and resilience response project, said they putting together plans to respond to job cuts resulting from Covid-19.
“We are targeting 200 companies to create 2,000 to 4,000 jobs in 2021 or 300,000 in five years in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, construction and trade. We have already engaged 135 companies,” he said.
Allan Brian Ssembajjwe a business coach said they trained the 100 entrepreneurs in areas like human resources management, book keeping and aspects of business which normally fail businesses.
