Providing BDS
In my view,the importance of BDS in youth entrepreneurship can be seen by first defining BDS. Business Development Services (BDS) are generally defined as:
“… services that improve the performance of the enterprise, its access to markets, and its ability to compete. The definition of ’business development service’… includes an array of business services [such as training, consultancy, marketing, information, technology development and transfer, business linkage promotion, etc.], both strategic [medium to long term issues that improve performance] and operational [day-to-day issues]. BDS are designed to serve individual businesses, as opposed to the larger business community.”
(Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development, 2001)
From this definition it can be noted that BDS encompasses a wide array of services which are critical to the development and growth of an enterprise. It is most likely that not many youths may have had the necessary business developement knowledge and skills. Some youths could be grade 7 or 9 dropouts or those that have not gotten places in higher education. So BDS helps bridge that gap by enabling the youth entrepreneurs have the basic and significant business services that can lead to a sustainable business as opposed to one that fails to survive due to lack of necessary business skills and know-how.
