Ms. Anna Marie Periquet, Chairman of the CACCI Young Entrepreneurs Group of Asia-Pacific (YEGAP), informed the Council that the roundtable discussion on youth entrepreneurship was attended by some 70 delegates and featured three panelists as well as herself, each one of whom made their respective presentations. […]
History of the Young Entrepreneurs Group Asia Pacific (YEGAP)
A vibrant economy depends on the dynamism of its young population, particularly those endowed with entrepreneurial spirit. A country’s future lies on dynamic and entrepreneurial young people who are prepared to take steps to secure their own prosperity and that of future generations, in an environment that supports, encourages and rewards innovation and risk taking.
It is for this reason that the Young Entrepreneurs Group Asia-Pacific (YEGAP) was created during the 68th CACCI Council Meeting held in May 2004 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Its goal is to provide a venue for young entrepreneurs in CACCI member countries to get actively involved in entrepreneurial development.
CACCI hopes that the YEG-AP will serve as an effective venue for identifying suitable programs geared towards entrepreneurial development for young entrepreneurs. Ms. Anna Marie Periquet from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry was elected chairman of the group.
ACTIVITIES:
The YEG-AP held its inaugural meeting in February 2005 during the 20th CACCI Conference held in New Delhi. Among others, the meeting approved the Plan of Action of the YEG-AP.
The group met for the second time during the 70th CACCI Council Meeting in October 2005 in Tbilisi, Georgia. During that meeting, the group nominated Mr. Teisuke Suzuki, former Chairman of the Federation of Young Entrepreneurs Group of Japan, to be the YEG-AP Vice-Chairman. The group also approved the criteria and mechanics for the First Asia-Pacific Young Entrepreneurs Awards to be presented during the 21st CACCI Conference to be held in November 2006 in Taipei as part of the activities to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of CACCI.
Subsequent meetings were held in Taipei, Taiwan on November 1, 2006; Perth, Australia on July 26, 2007 during the 73rd CACCI Council Meeting; on October 22, 2008 in Manila, Philippines during the 22nd CACCI Conference; and on May 31, 2009 in Yokohama, Japan during the 23rd CACCI Conference; on July 6, 2010 in Colombo, Sri Lanka during the 24th CACCI Conference; and on March 7, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey in conjunction with the 25th CACCI Conference.
On October 5, 2012, a YEGAP breakout session was held at the 26th CACCI Conference in Kathmandu. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between YEGAP and the Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs Forum (NYEF) on the sidelines of the event. The meeting had the highest number of attendees with 210 participants representing various delegations. The finalists of the 4th Asia-Pacific Young Entrepreneur Award gave brief presentations. Mr. Sujeewa Suranga Palliyaguruge was announced as the winner.
The YEGAP convened during the 27th CACCI Conference held in Cebu City, Philippines on March 14, 2013. The participants explored possible areas of cooperation among CACCI members in promoting entrepreneurship, particularly with start-up entrepreneurs. The group discussed several YEGAP activities for consideration like holding the first YEGAP Conference. The Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs Forum (NYEF) offered to host the first YEGAP Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2014.
The YEGAP co-organized a breakout session on the topic “Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Empowering the Youth” during the 28th CACCI Conference held in Kuala Lumpur on September 18-19, 2014. The speakers agreed on the need to empower the youth as global demands are leading to new inventions, noting that the present-day needs of youngsters are totally different from those of the past. Young people should be given a chance to get involved instead of just merely learning from their mentor.
The speakers also emphasized the importance of building network which can be useful for business in the future. They also see social media as a great platform for promoting entrepreneurship, and called on young people to have an entrepreneur’s mindset and be generous in sharing their knowledge and experience in business and entrepreneurship.
This is the list of past YEGAP meetings:
* Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Meeting, September 19, 2014 * Cebu, the Philippines Meeting, March 14, 2013 * Kathmandu, Nepal Meeting October 5, 2012 * Istanbul, Turkey Meeting, March 7, 2011 * Colombo, Sri Lanka Meeting, July 6, 2010 * Yokohama, Japan Meeting, May 31, 2009 * Manila, Philippines Meeting, October 22, 2008 * Perth, Australia Meeting, July 26, 2007 * Taipei, Taiwan Meeting, November 1, 2006 * Tbilisi, Georgia Meeting, October 27, 2005 * New Delhi, India Meeting, February 17, 2005
Ms. Periquet delivered the Opening Statement and welcomed all the participants. Ms. Periquet gave an overview of the state of entrepreneurship in the Asia Pacific region, with special notation on the youth sector and start-up businesses. She stressed that there is a need for young entrepreneurs to communicate with their counterparts in other countries using the YEGAP and the CACCI as the platform for achieving this objective.
Mr. Jhondie Abenaza, an award-winning technology entrepreneur from the Philippines, shared his best business practices in the business of information technology and software entertainment. Mr. Abenaza also talked about his extensive experience in the production of websites, software applications and video games. He stated that starting a business is already a challenge and expanding the business is even a greater challenge. He expressed his hope that he would be able to pick-up some advice from his colleagues from other countries on how to further foster entrepreneurship in the Philippines.
Mr. Mangesh Lal Shrestha, President of the Nepalese Young Entrepreneur’s Forum and Director and CEO of CAS Total Solutions, shared his wealth of experience in the ICT sector. He also discussed the many benefits of doing business in Nepal, particularly in the telecommunications, healthcare, energy and tourism industries. Mr Shrestha also gave an overview of the present state of entrepreneurship in Nepal, as well as its problems and concerns. He also made a presentation on the Nepalese Young Entrepreneur’s Forum, focusing on its activities and the important role it plays in helping contribute to the vitality of the communities, the SMEs, and the local economies. He also expressed his personal view on Nepal’s possible role in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ms. Khulan Davaadorj, a Mongolian entrepreneur, shared her business testimonial from the “Kitchen to Store” as founder of Natural Essentials LLC in 2014. Her company produces natural and healthy products with unique Mongolian raw materials in the most environmentally friendly way. She shared how she started Mongolia’s first ever organic skincare brand LHAMOUR with the vision to be a leading role model, proving to people that Mongolia can produce high quality products. Ms. Davaadorj discussed her efforts in trying to pave the way for Mongolians to overturn conventions and start little by little in order to eventually contribute to positive social change and economic growth in Mongolia and even Asia. She also highlighted her role as a lead advocate of the entrepreneurship movement in Mongolia.
During the open forum, some of the participants shared their respective country’s state of entrepreneurship and programs. They included: India, Philippines, Bangladesh and Taiwan. Participants also discussed trends and developments, concerns, and prospects for growth of entrepreneurship in the region. They likewise explored possible areas of cooperation among CACCI members in promoting entrepreneurship among the start-up entrepreneurs. The participants agreed that the YEGAP is a good role model for chambers that are creating entrepreneurs group in their respective chambers and countries.
