LARKANA: Speakers at a summit have urged the youth to develop business acumen to seize opportunities for their betterment and prosperity of the country.

They were speaking at the 2nd International Youth Entrepreneurs’ Summit 2023 organised here on Thursday by the department of business administration, Sindh University Larkana campus.

It was an attempt to educate, train and inspire the youth to overcome barriers on way to achieve success in their lives.

Presided over by Prof Dr Azhar Ali Shah, it was jointly inaugurated by Larkana Deputy Commissioner Ms Rabia Siyal and others.

Prof Dr Azhar and Ms Rabia visited all the shops set up on the occasion and discussed the innovation and optimisation to transform the conventional business to entrepreneurship so as to be able for self-employment as well as create jobs for others.

Dr Mir Dost, who holds PhD in entrepreneurship and innovation management from Thailand and currently serves as a prof of entrepreneurship and management at Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education, UK, talked about hybrid entrepreneurship and described its bright and flip sides.

Encouraging the youth to adopt business approach rather to emphasis on the dark sides of the life, he talked about enablers, potential barriers and outcomes of the hybrid entrepreneurship.

Prof Ali Nawaz Soomro from Shah Abdul Latif University expressed that the youth needed to be confidant. If the experience of seniors and passion of the youth worked together, the future of institutions, society as well as state should be definitely bright, he observed.

Mr Sunny Rawlani, a local entrepreneur, said that for successful business, things must be simple; “we must know the simple math; the revenue should be more than expenses; for achieving that we must have a vision to convert it; that vision must match the market and should be problem solving. When we have all this, we can execute it and be consistent to make it grow. Time will come when we hit the market,” he said.

Ms Nehrish Shaikh said that being mother of two children, she managed house as well office work as human resource head at a private organisation. For a successful role “we have to motivate our family as well as office environment”. Role of the head of the family and organisation is important for provision of safe environment for working women”. She said that during her stay at Malaysia, she witnessed female taxi drivers. It’s all about the confidence, she observed.

Ms Dhanak Yousuf said that due to lack of knowledge, minority communities faced some issues in society. “We need to create awareness among the youth regarding various affirmative actions being implemented by the government and other organisations which aim at promoting respect and support for diversity, leading towards tolerance and inclusion,” she said.

Prof Jam Jamali, former secretary of Arts Council Larkana, quoted a Sindhi adage “Uttam Kheti, Wadhandar Wapaar”, saying that business and trade was also promoted by Shah Latif as he talked about Wanjaro as business and trade hero.

He said: “We are business community and business nation, but we need to follow ethics not to be hoarders and exploiters. Latif teaches and appreciates this ethics. Business is the future of our youth, creating peaceful, progressive and prosperous society.”

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023