A delegation of young and aspiring entrepreneurs, led by the Young Entrepreneurs Forum (YEF) of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has recently participated in CAAYE Summit in Mumbai. This was a cross representation of entrepreneurs from across Pakistan, with delegates from Punjab, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, and Sindh, who made their mark during the proceedings of the Summit.

CAAYE (Commonwealth Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs) which is a Commonwealth Secretariat-supported initiative represents 8 countries from the Commonwealth Asia region, namely Malaysia, India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Maldives. The focus of this year’s Summit was to share best practices and prepare recommendations for improving “access to finance” to young entrepreneurs.

Nearly 200 delegates from the 8 countries met for 3 days in Mumbai to network, build business linkages, conduct field studies, attend learning sessions and jointly prepare a set of recommendations to improve the ecosystem of youth entrepreneurship in the form of an official communiqué that will be submitted to member Governments through the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Continue reading ‘YEF Pakistan Youth Delegation Participates in Commonwealth CAAYE Summit’ »

On November 14th the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) joined the Center for International Private Enterprise and  Kauffman Foundation to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week.  Aiming to determine obstacles to entrepreneurship, ICCI gathered a large number of young entrepreneurs, established businessmen, and students to discuss key impediments to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Amid their discussion, many participants voiced the opinion that the main objective should be to foster an entrepreneurial culture among youth.  CIPE Deputy Country Director Hammad Siddiqui asserts that the only way Pakistan can take advantage of its bulging youth population and push through the hard times of a sluggish economy and few jobs is to provide an environment that encourages youth towards entrepreneurial careers.  Some attendees expressed the need for the curriculum in schools to stoke interest in students.  While this is absolutely a vital part of building an entrepreneurial ecosystem, it is also important to advocate on the policy side as well. Continue reading ‘Driving Youth Entrepreneurship in Pakistan’ »

Samriddhi, the Prosperity Foundation, organized several events to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week, in partnership with a wide range of other local organizations. These included an event on November 21 to highlight the achievements of five prominent Nepali entrepreneurs, which was covered in the country’s main national daily newspapers, including the Kathmandu Post, Republica, the Himalayan Times, and others. Attendees also included the head of the Federation of Nepali Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Chief Executive of the Nepal Investment Board. The next episode of Samriddhi’s radio program on entrepreneurship is planned for December 2, and will address how financial institutions can better serve small-scale entrepreneurs.

Congratulations to Samriddhi for winning the 2012 CIPE Leading Practices Contest! – Kim Bettcher, CIPE

[If you're in Washington, hope you can make it. We'll capture the event for our online audience...]

Please join the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) for a luncheon discussion featuring:

Daniel Cordova, Instituto Invertir
Arpita Nepal, Samriddhi, the Prosperity Foundation
Miriam Kornblith, National Endowment for Democracy

with comments by:

Ambassador Harold Forsyth (invited), Embassy of Peru in the United States
John D. Sullivan, Center for International Private Enterprise

RSVP here

Across the world, countries are grappling with challenges of social and economic inclusion Continue reading ‘Democracy, Entrepreneurship, and the Inclusion of Youth’ »

CIPE and Samriddhi launched a new publication, “Building a New Generation of Entrepreneurs in Nepal,” which profiles eight of the graduates of Samriddhi’s “Arthalaya” youth entrepreneurship program who have successfully launched businesses in Nepal. Since the program was started in 2009, over 300 students have completed the Arthalaya workshops, and Samriddhi now runs the program without CIPE support, with funding from local private sector donors and nominal students fees. Continue reading ‘Entrepreneurial Journeys of Arthalaya Graduates’ »

Global entrepreneurship is on the rise. According to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor from Babson College, there are nearly 400 million active entrepreneurs around the world. One of the most significant findings in the GEM survey was the steady increase of total entrepreneurial activity (TEA) across all the different economic levels despite a worldwide economic struggle over the past few years.

In Pakistan the private sector is also actively involved in promoting entrepreneurship but public sector support and drive is very much missing. Government must take measures to encourage entrepreneurship culture, particularly in youth.

The Young Entrepreneurs Forum of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry has recently organized Global Entrepreneurship Week. In this event panelists, researchers, economists and youth highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship issues and cited examples of successful entrepreneurs to motivate youngsters.

Taking another initiative, YEF is planning to organize National Entrepreneurs Conference in March this year on the theme “Inspiring a New Wave of Entrepreneurs”. This will provide an opportunity to youth to share & exchange ideas, experiences, skills and knowledge, learn from each other and set a road map to unleash their entrepreneurial potential.

Continue reading ‘National Entrepreneurs Conference’ »

In 2011, CIPE Pakistan raised the profile of entrepreneurship while exploring the impediments to an entrepreneurial culture. Initiatives throughout the year covered opportunities in the IT sector, women’s entrepreneurship, innovation, education, financing, and more. See Emad Sohail’s summary of 2011 highlights on CIPE Development Blog.

Share a message with the Community of Young Entrepreneurs: partners@cipe.org

Samriddhi, the Prosperity Foundation was once again an active participant in the Global Entrepreneurship Week festivities. In the days leading up to GEW 2011, Samriddhi not only publicized its own event, but also the history and importance of GEW in general through a press release to local media. The advanced notice paid off and several media outlets covered the event held on November 17th honoring eight prominent entrepreneurs from various sectors across Nepal. Multiple accounts of the event can be read in publications like the Kathmandu Post, as well as two sections of the Himalayan Times (Entrepreneurs Urged to Tap Opportunity and Entrepreneurship Celebrations and Rehabilitation). Biruwa, a local start-up incubator in Nepal, also posted a lengthy blog describing the event and summarizing several key takeaways based on the experiences of the entrepreneurs who were honored.

Anna Weber
CIPE

Comment here or share a message with the Community of Young Entrepreneurs: partners@cipe.org

Samriddhi, the Prosperity Foundation observed Global Entrepreneurship Week on November 17 by recognizing eight entrepreneurs and asking them to share their experiences. The honorees were Mr. Bholanath Sharma, Mr. Biswas Dhakal, Ms. Hajuri Bista, Mr. Hari Bhakta Sharma, Mr. Maheswor Shrestha, Mr. Niranjan Shrestha, Mr. Om Rajbhandary, and Mr. Shyam Kakshapati.

See the event summary.

Continue reading ‘Entrepreneurs Honored in Nepal’ »

On November 16, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) hosted Global Entrepreneurship Week in collaboration with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the Kauffman Foundation and Junior Chamber International. The Islamabad event was attended by over 80 chamber members, diplomatic community, young entrepreneurs and students (see coverage in the Express Tribune).

Continue reading ‘Global Entrepreneurship Week in Islamabad’ »