Blaze to host BYOB youth summit at the coast this weekend

The BLAZE Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) youth summit will take place this Saturday 15^th October at the Mombasa Golf Club.

This will be the 5^th edition of the summit, which has so far seen over 20,000 youth from various parts of the country benefit from mentorship, networking and learning opportunities organised by young people, for young people.

As has happened in the preceding events held in Eldoret, Thika, Nakuru and Nairobi, the summit will see BLAZE subscribers mentored by young Kenyans who have excelled in different professions, including rapper/entrepreneur Kevin Ombima aka King Kaka, entrepreneur Michelle Ntalami (C.E.O. and Founder, Brandvine Group, Marini Naturals), actor Nick Mutuma, and Wilkings Fadhili (C.E.O. Fashion Torch Africa) among others.

The full day session will start at 9am and will comprise of mentorship and plenary sessions led by mentors who have specialized in different areas of interest such as fashion, music, media, agri-business and career building.

"We've been to different parts of the country and each time we're awed by the eagerness of Kenyan youth to learn from their peers, who they find more relatable because their stories many times mirror the mentors' own," said Sylvia Mulinge, Director – Consumer Business, Safaricom.

"We're also starting to see the impact of these summits on both the mentors and attendees, with many BLAZERs sharing their stories on the BLAZE blog and our mentors receiving great exposure. Just recently Wilkings Fadhili secured a KES 16.5 million grant from 1608 Creatives, a U.S.-based fashion business company," Ms. Mulinge added.

Entry into the summit will cost KES100 per person, redeemable for airtime upon entry.

Attendees will also get an opportunity to audition for the upcoming BYOB TV show, which will see 12 contestants compete for a chance to win funding for their businesses.

Kisumu County will host the last summit of the year on 29^th October 2016.

BLAZE is a sub-brand of Safaricom and is the first platform of its kind in the East and Central African market to be co-created with the youth, for the youth.