Assistant Commerce and Industry Minister for Central Administration has urged students and recent graduates of the Booker Washington Institute (BWI), that participated in a business development plan training, to cultivate the act of honesty and sincerity in their daily activities.

Assistant Minister Alphonso Kwiah said without honesty and sincerity, the students would find it difficult and if not, impossible to reach their goals in life.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Liberia in collaboration with the Booker Washington Institute conducted the week-long business development plan training for graduating seniors and recent graduates of BWI.

The project is being piloted under the Business Opportunities Support Services Project (BOSS) of UNDP Liberia, as a follow up activity to the Business development plan competition launched in June this year for students of BWI.

Since the launch of the competition, the students submitted 24 business idea applications and were evaluated with the top 12 students with the best ideas participating in the week-long business development plan training.

“As you undergo this training which will help you develop full business plans, I encourage you to inject the spirit of honesty and sincerity in everything you do in line with this project,” Minister Kwiah said.

Following the training, the students will submit full business development plans to be vetted by an independent panel. At least the best five (5) plans will be selected to receive seed funding to start their businesses.

The Assistant Commerce Minister told the students that the management of the seed fund and the successful implementation of the different businesses will determine the expansion of the project to other technical and vocational institutions in the country.

He thanked UNDP and the administration of BWI for the partnership.  

For his part, UNDP Energy and Environment Programme Specialist Moses Massah told the students to take advantage of what he called “a glorious opportunity” that has been afforded them through the BOSS project to become their own bosses.

“You are blessed to be the first beneficiaries of the pilot project. A project that supports the pro-poor agenda of the Government of Liberia; A project that seeks to make you employers and not jobseekers. I encourage you to make maximum use of this opportunity that has come your way,” Mr. Massah said.

He served as proxy for UNDP Deputy Country Director for Programmes, Cleophas Torori. Mr. Massah told the gathering that the BOSS Project remains one of UNDP’s flagship projects that directly impact the lives of the ordinary people in line with Government Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).

Earlier, BWI Industrial Coordinator James Walker said the management of BWI remains grateful to UNDP and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) for the partnership through the Business Opportunities Support Services Project.

Mr. Walker said the management of BWI sees the BOSS project, especially the entrepreneurship challenge (Business Plan Competition) and the subsequent business development plan training as a worthwhile initiative that seeks to empower the students in becoming employers rather than employees.

The entrepreneurship challenge (Business Plan Competition) was designed for graduating senior students and recent graduates of the BWI to explore supply chain gaps and corporate social investment (CSI) window of companies.

The business development plan training was facilitated by Jefferson Karr of the Vision Group Liberia Limited/Vision University College.