Business plan competition in the final stretch

In what has been a nerve-wracking, competitive and informative five months, the Nyamuka Zambia competition has reached a tipping point with 20 contenders moving forward to the third and final phase of the competition in what is set to be a nail-biting finale.

Twenty out of the initial 60 entrepreneurs from across the country have been shortlisted as finalists for the business plan competition, bringing them a step closer to turning their business ideas into reality.

Over 550 budding business women and men registered for this high-profile initiative in May, all hoping to win the coveted K250,000 top prize, along with runner-up prizes and support to bring their business aspirations  to life.

The finalists attended a series of intensive clinics and training workshops where they fine-tuned their business plans with the help of experts and mentors, slowly inching their way to the grand prize.

The finalists are: Peter Bwalya, Alan Chanda, Abel Chiliboyi, Towani Clarke, Christina Kabungo, Zohaib Khan, Bazak Lungu, Silus Matandala, Mutende Mbewe, Nelson Mphande, Cassandra Mtine, Moses Mulenga, Lemmy Nenge, Mwape Ng’andu, Mumbi Ng’ona, Mattias Ohlson, Niza Simpungwe, Danford Sindowe, Judy Siyambango, Chipokosha Tepula.

“The competition is really hotting up, with just 20 finalists remaining, all with a chance of the top prize,” said Nyamuka Zambia Manager Shalin Jethi. “Every one of the 20 finalists has worked tirelessly to perfect their business plans, and all of them are already winners for getting this far, but the final last push will determine who has what it takes to stay the course.”

The next stage will be a televised final dubbed The Game Plan where the finalists will be expected to pitch their business idea before a panel of judges made up of top notch business leaders.

The ZANACO-sponsored Nyamuka Zambia Competition is one of four components under the Private Enterprise Programme – Zambia (PEPZ), funded by the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID).

Budding businesspeople from all walks of life submitted their ideas, which ranged from renewable energy and waste management to fashion design, food processing and packaging and also a range of innovative consumer services.

Applications for the competition were launched on March 17 and Nyamuka Zambia supported entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a series of workshops and clinics in Lusaka and the Copperbelt that helped them develop more bankable business proposals to help them grow their businesses.

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About Nyamuka Zambia
Nyamuka Zambia is a business plan competition that is transforming Zambia’s entrepreneurial landscape by inspiring ambitious businessmen and women to raise their game and take their ideas to the next level – creating employment and driving the economy forward in the process. It is also tasked with finding a new generation of business heroes and helping them put into place a game plan to grow their enterprises and tap into new markets that the Zambian economy needs. Nyamuka Zambia is changing attitudes towards entrepreneurship in Zambia for the better and innovation, growth and diversity are its watchwords.

Nyamuka Zambia provides all competitors with invaluable support and expertise through business planning workshops, coaching and mentoring sessions and many opportunities to network and connect with the wider world of business – so everyone is a winner, with the best talents being substantially rewarded for their innovative business ideas and plans.

Nyamuka Zambia is part of the five-year Private Enterprise Programme – Zambia (PEPZ), funded by the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) that aims to stimulate the private sector through robust interventions targeted at transformative Zambian entrepreneurs and enterprises.

Contact us through our website at www.NyamukaZambia.com, email [email protected] or call: 5066

About the Private Enterprise Programme – Zambia (PEPZ)

The Private Enterprise Programme-Zambia (PEP-Z) is a five-year project funded by the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) that aims to build and strengthen the capacity of Zambian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the private sector to create jobs and contribute to the diversification of the economy.

PEP-Z is being implemented through targeted interventions that identify and enable entrepreneurs with the attitude and willingness to become more competitive. Women and youth will also be a focus of the programme.

The programme aims to achieve these goals through an integrated approach that has four interlinked components: Business Linkages; Business Development Services; a Business Plan Competition; and Impact Investment.

More information is available at www.pepzambia.com
For media inquiries please contact:

Gillian Langmead at Langmead & Baker Ltd

+260 979 060705

[email protected]