EnergyQuest Magazine is one of the successful companies that was selected to participate in Youth Business Expo 2022. The magazine was represented by Chief Executive Officer, Editor in Chief, & Communication, Sales & Marketing Manager.
During business exhibition, the team was able to share EnergyQuest Magazine’s products & services with visitors, networked & distributed more than 20 copies of magazines for Q12022 & Q42021, provided the latest updates/information on oil, gas, renewable energies & associated sectors of economy, and answered some energy related questions which were asked by visitors.
Youth Business Expo 2022 was organised in Juba, South Sudan on 8th of April 2022 under a theme “Tapping into energies of young people for industrial growth. Make your passion your pay cheque.” The business expo event was supported by UNFPA in partnership with the Republic of South Sudan & Ministry of Trade & Industry. The event was organised by Shabab Le Shabab in collaboration with BEATec & attended by representatives of Ministry of Trade & Industry, UNFPA & young entrepreneurs of South Sudan. The purpose of this event was to showcase indigenous South Sudanese businesses & entrepreneurial interventions initiated by young people.
It was exciting & encouraging to witness many young people participating in this business exhibition where they showcased their innovative products & services across diverse fields such as media, energy, health, logistics, procurement, education, foods, beverages, agriculture, tourism/hospitality sector, construction, art & design among others.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Thomas, the Director of Private Sector Development in the Ministry of Trade & Industry stated that it is crucial to have strategy in place hence South Sudan is working on its export and investment strategy to harmonise with the current standards in the regional block (EAC) & others. The representatives of Ministry of Trade & Industry were happy to witness businesses initiated by youth and also revealed that government of South Sudan is working on regulations aimed at empowerment of indigenous businesses & companies in the country. It has been known that challenges facing youth in starting & running their companies include lack of adequate infrastructure and regulations that protect them from foreign competition. Despite of existing challenges, the young people & entrepreneurs were encouraged to participate fully in the socio-economic development of South Sudan.
In addition to showcasing of innovative products and services, there was also a panel discussion on African Free Trade Area (AFTA), potential benefits that South Sudan can get out of it & investment opportunities in South Sudan. In the panel discussion on how AFTA is good for South Sudan, one panelist stated that South Sudan can be able to export its products to its regional counterparts provided that there is adequate infrastructure.
One of entrepreneurial interventions in the area of energy efficiency& waste management was from the company that produced briquette from papers & wastes/small pieces of charcoal that remain after charcoal production. The briquettes can be used for cooking & this is believed to be proper utilisation of resources to create positive impact. In Africa and South Sudan in particular, charcoal still remains as the primary source of energy for cooking. Although charcoal/biomass is one of renewable sources of energy, there are still some environmental concerns. One way to address some of those concerns is to have clear reforestation programme and to utilise resources properly. Of course, briquettes has been used in other parts of the world and it is believed that expansion of that idea to South Sudan may represent proper utilisation of available resources or conversion of wastes into useful products.