The Business Acceleration for Youth project implemented by Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and funded by USAID, has been actively supporting 250 young entrepreneurs with business development support through trainings and coaching in the five districts since April this year. The culmination of this activity is the award of 20 grants to the highest ranked business start-ups in each district.
The successful entrepreneurs were identified through a publicly held business idea pitching event, where the entrepreneurs presented their business ideas before a panel composing representatives from the District Council, Private Sector, Business Development Services provider, and project staff. The business ideas and plans presented by the entrepreneurs were assessed against a standardized scoring matrix. The top 20 ranked entrepreneurs were then recommended for a grant award.
