By Daniel Mpala
Are you curious about how African schools and universities are tackling education around entrepreneurship, or interested to know how the continent is celebrating and supporting young entrepreneurs?
Then you’ll want to attend the inaugural Very Young Entrepreneur Education & Acceleration Summit which takes place on 15 April in Johannesburg at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton.
The summit is an initiative of the Anzisha Prize, in partnership with the African Leadership Academy (ALA) and Mastercard Foundation and is aimed at educators, investors, entrepreneurs, corporates and policy makers from across the continent.
Confirmed speakers and panellists include Anzisha Programme executive director Josh Adler, Quartz Africa editor Yinka Adegoke and E Squared investment principal Llewellyn Fredericks. In addition, nominees of the Anzisha Prize ecosystem awards will also speak at the event.
The one-day conference will kick off with a break-away panel in which investors, policy makers and entrepreneurs will discuss opportunities and challenges in investing in young entrepreneurs under the age of 25.
The first session of the summit will feature a panel discussion titled Teaching the Boss featuring educators from leading schools and universities who have created practice-based approaches to developing entrepreneurial skills.
The South African parents of young entrepreneurs will also feature in a panel discussion titled Parenting the Boss in which parents will discuss the approaches and challenges of raising young entrepreneurs. An ebook of the same title — which is a guide on raising and supporting young African entrepreneurs — will also be launched during the session.
The event will also see the launch of another ebook titled How to Kickstart an Entrepreneurship-as-Learning Economy in Schools. The book is a guide on running entrepreneurship simulations for schools as well as a tips book by and for teachers on entrepreneurship.
The second session of the summit will see the launch of the Anzisha Scenarios research paper which will be followed by an expert panel discussion that will envision a future where young Africans choose entrepreneurship as a career.
During the summit the ALA will announce the launch of the Very Young Entrepreneurs Fund — a matching fund available to graduates of the academy. The fund is a partnership between the African Leadership Academy and the Omidyar Network.
Game changers in the very young entrepreneur’s community will also be celebrated in the Young Entrepreneurs Supporters Awards that will take place during the last session of the summit.
The Very Young Entrepreneur Education & Acceleration Summit is set to become one of the leading conversation platforms for parents, teachers, investors and policy makers shaping entrepreneurship for under 25’s in Africa.
Keen on attending? Register to attend for free here.