At DeCMaTT's Third Graduation, Edwin Turay emphasis need to embrace Entrepreneurial training, growth and competitiveness

By: Mohamed Simbo Kamara

Renowned academic, advocate and philanthropist Mr. Edwin A.J Turay, the Assistant Registrar Academic Affairs Makeni Campus at the Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bee Neet General Suppliers Ltd. And Bee Neet Agribusiness Farm has emphasized the need to embrace Entrepreneurial training, growth and competitiveness. He made the call while delivering his Keynote address as the Guest of Honor of the joint convocation and matriculation ceremony of the Destiny College of Management Theology and Technology (DeCMaTT) Makeni held at its main campus on Azzolini Highway. His speech was centred on the topic: "the Role of Entrepreneurial Training, Growth and Competitiveness for Young People. Mr. Turay started his speech by calling on the attention of those that present and requested them to deliver the message to others who might benefit too, Education has a very important role in shaping young people into competitive and innovative individuals, especially in the context of an increasingly complex and rapidly changing global economy.

He explained that:"Entrepreneurial training is the ability of individuals to identify opportunities, take measured risks, and develop ideas into valuable innovations for societyEducation plays a key role in cultivating the skills and mindset necessary for young people to thrive as competitive and inventive members of society, particularly within the dynamic and swiftly evolving global economy," adding that Entrepreneurial training also refers to the capacity of individuals to recognize and seize opportunities, undertake calculated risks, and transform ideas into significant innovations that benefit society. He went on to inform the gathering that there have been notable transformations in the global labor landscape over the years, as a result of economic and technical advancements. These modifications necessitate the capacity to adjust, generate novel ideas, and provide fresh employment opportunities. To him, "Education has a pivotal role in addressing these difficulties and equipping young people to effectively contribute to economic transformation. He informed that previous research has shown that a high level of entrepreneurship can increase a country's economic growth. Examined the relationship between entrepreneurship levels and economic growth in developing countries. Mr. Turay mentionied the following factors as crucial in the formation of entrepreneurial training on the growth and competitiveness of young people’’. These factors are: 1. The Need for Innovation: The rapid development of technology has changed the way of doing business and created new opportunities. The younger generation must have entrepreneurial training, a new spirit, and zeal to create innovations that are relevant to the demands of our society. 2. Reducing the Unemployment Rate: The high unemployment rate among the youths demands efforts to encourage the birth of young entrepreneurs who can create jobs as we are currently witnessing a new birth of job craters not seekers in our society especially within Makeni City. 3. Increasing Economic Independence: An entrepreneurial spirit can increase the economic independence of the community by reducing dependence on formal employment. 4. Support Economic Growth: The role of entrepreneurship in creating jobs and advancing innovation is critical to supporting a country's economic growth. 5. Education Paradigm Shift: Education that only focuses on academic mastery is no longer relevant. Education should also include the development of entrepreneurial skills to enable young people to compete in the world of work. 6. Influence of Social Environment: Social environment and education play an important role in shaping individual attitudes and behavior. He stressed that the entrepreneurial spirit encompasses a combination of attitudes, skills, and knowledge that enable a person to become an entrepreneur or change agent in the business and social environment. "Entrepreneurial training/ spirit is not a quality exclusive to entrepreneurs but can also benefit employees and other individuals in working innovatively and helping organizations achieve their goals more effectively," he explained. He continued to define what is being referred to as the young generation, which he refers to as "a population group within a certain age range, who usually share relatively similar traits and experiences because they were born and grew up in the same or neighboring time periods. There is no definitive boundary to describe the younger generation as age limits may vary depending on cultural and social contexts. "However, the general term "younger generation" refers to individuals who are between their late teens and late twenties or early thirties. Each younger generation often has different characteristics and values as they have experienced unique life experiences in different social, political, technological, and economic contexts. Young people are often the focus of attention and analysis in a variety of fields, including entrepreneurship, agriculture, sociology, psychology, marketing, and politics." He further pointed out to members of the congregation that the economy of a nation depends on the small and medium enterprises. A large number of people are employed by the SME sector, which also contributes to the national income as pointed out in Sessional Paper (GOK, 2005). In addition, the sector promotes competition and innovation necessary for employment besides being the provider for goods and services (GOK, 2005). In addition, Mr. Turay shedlight on the importance of entrepreneurial training as one of the ingredients of SMES growth has globally been recognized. There is a significant impact on participant’s characteristics and final participation outcomes after training. He elaborated that the role of education in fostering entrepreneurial spirit in the younger generation is crucial in the face of challenges and rapid economic change. Education has the responsibility to provide relevant entrepreneurial skills, create an enabling environment, and remove the negative stigma of failure. In addition, education should also reinforce ethical values and social responsibility and integrate technology to enhance learning effectiveness, and pleaded to the parents of the new graduates, saying "please let give them some time to settle. Let us not expect a quick dividend from them as of now. Kindly give a supporting hand to our new matriculants in ensuring they complete their program of study." He ended his speech by wishing the wonderful grandaunts well as they embarked on their journey in the world market. and gifted the gathering the following wise words of mother Teresa about life: Life is an opportunity, and I benefit from it. Life is beautiful, and I admire it. Life is a dream. Realize it. Life is a challenge. Meet it. Life is a duty. Complete it. Life is a game. Play it. Life is a promise. Fulfill it. Life is sorrowful. Overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle. Accept it. Life is a tragedy. Confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck. Make it. Life is too precious. Do not destroy it. Life is life. Fight for it. So go to the world, challenge life, and be an agent of ‘’entrepreneurial training on the growth and competitiveness of young people’’. God bless our country, Sierra Leone! God bless Destiny College of Management Theology and Technology. May God bless us all!! Thank you!!! Overall, Mr. Edwin Turay's speech was warmly received, leaving the attendees of the event in reflection with determination and high hope to contribute to national development in diverse ways.