Young entrepreneurs learn business plan preparation
Young entrepreneurs learn business plan preparation
The government is keen to expand the number of enterpreneurs in Laos, especially as most of them are young business people.
There is also a determination within the business sector to prepare for the stronger competition that will come from foreign businesspeople when the Asean Economic Community comes into being next year.
An intensive training programme at the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) is being conducted to sharpen the entrepreneurship skills of Lao business men and women from the public and private sectors, and students of the National University of Laos (NUOL).
The programme entitled ‘Global Eco-premiership Acceleration programme 2014 in Laos’ is expected to upgrade the technical skills of entrepreneurs as well as provide an exchange of business operational skills with Korean experts. Deputy Director General of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Department, Mr Sa Siriphong, said this training programme was in line with government efforts to increase the number of SME entrepreneurs in Laos.
“This an intensive training course over more than 10 Saturdays at the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry,” he said.
He said that course participants learned a lot about writing a business plan, market strategy, financial management and a lot more.
“It is certainly good for young Lao entrepreneurs to have the opportunity to learn from Korean experts,” Mr Sa said, saying that Laos still has plenty of capacity to invest in agricultural and forest products.
If the business plan is well-written, it will be easier to attract foreign investors, Mr Sa said.
A technical support programme from Handong Global University of the Republic of Korea is also helping to focus on professional training skills for market strategy, fund management, business planning and financial access.
More than 20 young people have now undertaken this intensive programme.
In the business plan presentation, most attendees chose green and eco-business issues in relation to organic vegetable farms, coffee products, restaurants and silk.
Director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Professor Gi Hong Kim, who was the head instructor and joined by other Korean trainers, said Laos is able to go straight on to the development of a green economy which is eco-friendly and sustainable.
“This programme allowed us to encourage the development of a sustainable green economy,” he said, adding that all developed countries are well versed in this.
He explained that the training course will allow people to get to know the mindset required for entrepreneurship which is sustainable and eco-friendly.
In his closing remarks, Prof. Kim also commented that the attendees gave good presentations of their business plans but they still needed to do more on time managment and go into greater depth on finanical strategy. LNCCI Vice President Mr Sanan Chounlamany, NUOL’s Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics Management Associate Prof. Somchit Souksavath and other senior officials attended the presentations.
vientiane times
