On 19 August, the Commonwealth Alumni Association of Zambia (CAAZ) held a webinar on the importance of entrepreneurship, and the skills needed for alumni to thrive in entrepreneurial ventures.
The event explored the concept of an entrepreneurial mindset through interactive discussions and case studies, and addressed the importance of embracing creativity, innovation and resilience in developing successful businesses. Speakers also demonstrated how academic tools and theories can be directly applied to real-world business scenarios to build and sustain a successful business.
The role of resilience in entrepreneurship
The event was opened by Commonwealth Alumnus Gwen Nachande (2020 Distance Learning Scholar) who introduced the theme and webinar topic and moderated the discussion.
The event speaker was Dr Suhaib Arogundade (2019 Shared Scholar), a registered civil engineer and project manager. In his presentation, he discussed the importance of resilience in entrepreneurship and why it is critical for success. He shared examples of how to overcome signification business challenges and strategies to build and maintain resilience, especially in the face of setbacks.
Key factors shared included having expertise in the business area, conducting thorough market research on the business idea and target audience and identifying the appropriate approach to embark on the project.
The event concluded with an engaging Q&A session. As the discussion wrapped up, Dr Arogundade took the opportunity to share further valuable resources with participants and encouraged those joining the webinar to share contacts and network with each other post-event.
In the closing remarks, Gwen further highlighted the importance of nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset and leveraging academic knowledge in business. She encouraged all participants to apply what they had learned and to continue to stay connected through CAAZ.
If you are a Commonwealth Scholar or Alumni living in Zambia and would like to get involved in CAAZ, visit this webpage for details.
