Many young people in Botswana face significant barriers to employment and economic participation, including limited work experience, inadequate entrepreneurial skills and difficulty translating their capabilities into sustainable livelihoods. The challenge was to create a practical programme that could help young people move from economic inactivity towards employment, entrepreneurship and greater economic independence.
The First Youth Programme was designed by IED and is implemented in partnership with the First National Bank Foundation (FNBF) through the First Youth Centre in Molepolole.
The programme is designed for young people between 18 and 35 years and provides two pathways: Entrepreneurship and Career Development. It combines structured classroom training with practical entrepreneurship and employability development, mentorship, networking, business development and enterprise support. The four-month programme is followed by a three-month after-care period, providing participants with continued support as they transition from training towards employment, entrepreneurship and economic activity.
The programme is delivered through the First Youth Centre in Molepolole, serving young people aged 18–35. IED has implemented the programme across multiple cohorts, establishing a sustained platform for youth entrepreneurship and employability development in the community. The centre has become a practical platform through which young people can access entrepreneurship education, career development and the support required to take the next step towards economic participation.
The programme has demonstrated measurable impact beyond classroom training. 60% of First Youth graduates are either employed or successfully running their own businesses, demonstrating the programme’s contribution to improving young people’s economic participation. The result demonstrates the value of combining entrepreneurship education, career development, mentorship and practical business support rather than treating youth training as a standalone classroom intervention. The programme has created a pathway through which young people can move from training into employment or enterprise.
The FNBF Foundation Manager has described the First Youth Programme as the Foundation’s biggest CSI project ever, noting that the Foundation is happy with the programme and the impact it is making. This perspective reflects the strength of the partnership between FNBF and IED and the confidence that has developed around the programme’s ability to deliver meaningful outcomes for young people.
It is IED’s intention to strengthen the First Youth model by adding an incubation component, creating a clearer pathway for graduates from training into business creation, mentorship and enterprise growth. IED will continue working hard to demonstrate the impact of the existing programme, strengthen its implementation and build the evidence needed to justify further investment and expansion. Subject to funding and approval, our intention is to build on the success of the Molepolole model and replicate an enhanced training-and-incubation model in the north.
UNIPOD at University of Botswana
University-based innovators often have strong technical ideas but require additional support to understand customers, validate markets, develop viable business models and translate innovations into commercially sustainable ventures. The challenge was therefore not simply to help innovators develop technology, but to help them understand how that technology could become a viable and sustainable business. IED is supporting the UniPod at the University of Botswana through the mentorship of selected startups.
IED provides practical entrepreneurship and business mentorship focused on helping innovators strengthen the commercial dimensions of their ventures. The support includes guidance on understanding target customers and markets, validating business opportunities, strengthening business models, refining value propositions and identifying pathways towards commercialisation. Through this collaboration, IED brings practical enterprise-development experience into the university innovation ecosystem, helping bridge the gap between technical innovation and commercial enterprise.
The intervention reaches selected innovators and startups participating in the UniPod at the University of Botswana. IED works directly with participating ventures through practical business mentorship and venture-development support, contributing to the development of a stronger innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem within the university.
The mentorship has helped participating startups strengthen their understanding of the market and commercial dimensions of their innovations. The support has focused on helping founders assess market opportunities, clarify their value propositions, strengthen their business models and move their ideas closer to commercialisation.
IED intends to continue contributing entrepreneurship and enterprise-development expertise to the UniPod ecosystem, particularly in venture development, market validation, business modelling and commercialisation. The objective is to help more innovators move beyond developing ideas and technologies towards building sustainable enterprises capable of creating economic value and employment.