The Africa Youth Chamber of Commerce and Investment (AYCCI) is a youth entrepreneurs’ membership organisation. AYCCI is an organisation for youth enterprise policy advocacy, information exchange, knowledge sharing, capacity building, young business leadership development and networking of existing and potential Youth Business Executives (YBE). AYCCI promote Train to Gain and Train for Retention of young entrepreneurs.
Essentially AYCCI promotes a dynamic and vibrant youth led enterprise sector. AYCCI mobilises, teaches and challenge existing and potential youth entrepreneurs to aspire to become not only outstanding entrepreneurial thinkers but active players in the micro, small and medium enterprise sector.
AYCCI represents an all-important paradigm shift in sustainable youth enterprise promotion and development. At AYCCI, Young entrepreneurs not only learn how to own and manage successful businesses but also build capacity for social entrepreneurship to help in the industrial revolution and transformation of the nation’s economy.
AYCCI strategic objective is to mainstream youth in the enterprise sector through robust policy advocacy and constructive engagement with government and development partners on the peculiar and specific challenges of young entrepreneurs in order to galvanise and harness the inventive and industrious energies of the youth into productive endeavors towards nation building.
AYCCI interface and effectively complement government’s efforts in capturing youth components and opportunities in government’s policies and intervention programmes existing in relevant Government Establishments, Development, Commercial and Microfinance Banks, International Development Organisations and Donor Agencies etc and attract opportunities for the benefit of members.
AYCCI also promotes and provides an exciting environment to inspire students and young people to learn practical business protocols, business etiquette, and financial & budgetary concepts through specific business projects and technology training, while attracting investment opportunities, developing and sharing via a Students Enterprise Information Service (SEIS) on existing microenterprise related opportunities for student entrepreneurs.
Ultimately, AYCCIwill serve as the clearing house for youth led enterprises and members of AYCCIwill enjoy a dynamic and practical mix of Personal Business Mentorship, Business Leadership Development, High Profile Networking, hands-on training, and robust Business Development Services that facilitate easy start-up in a control and structured environment, growth and sustainable development of their enterprises.
AYCCI VISION STATEMENT
To be a distinct, focus driven and result oriented world class young enterprise promotion and development platform in Africa and for African around the world.
AYCCI MISSION STATEMENT
To contribute to the eradication of hunger, poverty and youth unemployment through sustainable youth enterprise promotion, development via Train to Gain and Train for Retention through the instrumentality of innovative policy advocacy, interface, dialogue, and sustainable synergy, partnership and collaboration between governments and development partners / donor agencies.
AYCCI OBJECTIVES
The objectives of AYCCI are but not limited to the following; The general principle of the AYCCI is to foster an enabling youth enterprise environment for the pursuit of trade and commerce and all other forms of economic activities of interest to the youth-led enterprise constituency.
Other objectives include;
- To promote youth enterprise policy advocacy, contemporary trends and global best practices in youth mainstreaming and programming.
- To promote Train to Gain and Train for Retention among young entrepreneurs
- To promote youth enterprise protection on all matters affecting youth related businesses.
- To promote free enterprise, competitiveness and professionalism in the development and sustainability of youth led enterprises across Africa.
- To contribute to the overall economic stability of the African nations through innovative programmes and projects.
- To promote sustainable private sector development across Africa.
- To identify and harness trade, commerce, investment, export potentials, prospects and opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
- To promote sustainable synergy, partnership collaboration and networking between relevant micro, small and medium enterprise sector stakeholders.
- To develop tailored programmes and conduct training and capacity building of AYCCI members through workshop, seminars and conferences across the world and to win the heart of African.
- To identify, harness, circulate and develop business services and information among members.
- To conduct research and produce publication on a broad range of trade initiatives, commerce and in relevant fields.
- To promote local and international trade and commerce cooperation and organise youth trade exchanges and trade missions.
- To develop and manage young entrepreneurs and youth led enterprise data bank.
- To identify and celebrate entrepreneurship excellence among youth across Africa.
AYCCI SCOPE
AYCCI scope covers a broad range of youth led enterprises
- Engineering and Manufacturing
- Mines and Agriculture
- Tourism, Creative Arts and Culture
- Information Communication Technology
- Fashion Designs
- Printing and Publishing
- Trade and Commerce
- Consulting and Business Development Services
- Skills Acquisition and Vocational Training
- Entertainment, etc
AYCCI STRATEGIC BUSINESS MODEL
AYCCI strategic and unique approach is premised on the fact that young entrepreneurs do not have to meet the stringent requirements for sourcing funding to start or grow their businesses due to their unique vulnerability and inability to produce collaterals or guarantors and also their inability to pay for business development services which informs their social exclusion at the expense of their ability to engender innovative business ideas, create wealth and generate employment as well as contribute to the development of the national economy through their entrepreneurial endeavours.
AYCCIbelieves that with carefully structured intervention mechanisms and support services, young entrepreneurs can unleash their innate productive ingenuity which could lead to the industrial transformation of the African nations.
With the understanding of the peculiarities and unique challenges of young entrepreneurs, AYCCIstrategic approach therefore a is robust guided approach to starting and growing successful youth led businesses;
- Mobilise and galvanise youth already in business but having challenges as well as aspiring youth enterprise as members of the youth chamber.
- Conduct a need/situational assessment of their existing and potential businesses.
- Design and conduct appropriately tailored demand driven Entrepreneurial Training and Capacity Building programmes in collaboration with established and accredit enterprise development centres.
- Supervise and support their Business Plan Development.
- Identify and source alternative funding options based on their business plan and needs.
- Assist them in procuring and installing relevant business technology and required business needs where necessary.
- Assist and support them in product or service development to meet acceptable standards.
- Identify and develop local marketing opportunities for their products or services.
- Identify, develop and harness export market potentials.
- Develop enterprise clusters and linkages where necessary.
- Conduct regular monitoring, evaluate and report performance.
- Identify gaps and offer continuous business development support services.
- Facilitate Mentorship and Internship when necessary.
- Ensure effective repayment of sourced funds as stipulated.