Inspire our youth to create own businesses

Simon Gicharu

Few would deny that as a country, we are facing many challenges. The youth are the most affected because they form the majority of the population. The biggest problem they have to grapple with is joblessness.

The best way to address this seemingly intractable problem is to grow the economy to a level where it can absorb the high number of graduates. However, there is another novel way that we can use to reduce the number of young people with nothing meaningful to do with their lives.

If successful entrepreneurs and other gurus in various fields could tell their stories to these young people, they will definitely get inspired and translate whatever ideas they have into thriving businesses. Some youth just need inspiration to spark their creativity.

My secret

Perhaps my own personal story would inspire some of our young people to seriously think of ways to transform their lives. There is a saying that if you take care of your coins, the pounds will take care of themselves. This has been my secret of converting a $220 (Sh19,800 in current exchange rates) loan into a $400 million (Sh36 billion) institution with a regional footprint.

What I have learnt is that once you start a business, you ought to invest all the money you make, always postpone personal gratification and you will prevail. Needless to say, the road to success is paved with many challenges. It is never easy. And once you surmount one challenge, you always encounter another. But the desire to continue pressing on is the single most factor that will enable you overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

During most of my working life, I have focused on providing education. I have persisted even when all hope seemed lost. I could have easily quit and went into teaching when things became tough. I could have sold the university and retreated to a remote island. In life, the only constant is change itself. To remain relevant, you must continuously re-invent yourself in your line of work. Those who resist change may find themselves irrelevant in the job market.

Developing Mount Kenya University from Thika Institute of Technology and Thika School of Management studies wouldn’t have been possible if we did not embrace change. One of the most important ingredients of success is humility. It is the queen of all attitudes and the soul of discipleship. Humility will open doors for you and win you many hearts.

Unfortunately, many young people believe that nice guys finish last, and it is fashionable to be loud and show-off.

But as the Hindu religion teaches, humility is a “struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious.” Every human being is created with in-born potential that can reach one into great heights of success.

Vast potential

Harnessing this potential takes a lot of factors, some of which I have listed above. In any area of work or talent that divine providence has put in you, exploit it to the fullest. You only live once. Do not die with your potential.

Science and technology are key in saving Africa from the claws of poverty. This is an area young people can take advantage of. No country in the world has developed without embracing science and technology. This field boasts vast potential that the youth can tap to change their fortunes.

—The writer is the founder and chairman of Mount Kenya University