IN the wake of economic difficulties among the youth resulting from a constricted job market that cannot absorb them all, the only alternative is entrepreneurism.
Entrepreneurship which cannot be described in one sentence to give it the encompassing meaning it deserves, can only be looked at from a holistic point of view to give it its befitting meaning.
Initiative, innovativeness, creativity, readiness, boldness, originality and ready to go are some of the concepts which can be associated with entrepreneurship.
Business organisation that makes sense leading to business establishment as a going concern providing perpetual dividend for a living to business owners,  is another angle entrepreneurship can be looked from.
Honest, truthfulness, punctuality, availability, discipline, adaptability, commitment, timely decision making are some of the further attributes of entrepreneurship.
The industrialisation that took the world by storm in the advanced economies of the world previously is slowly giving in to the entrepreneurism as a way of economic advancement in the world today as seen in economies like China, Brazil and India.
Last week on Friday I was compelled to look at two situations concerning the youths and related each of them to entrepreneurism and found one situation out of context while the other one lived to inspire me with entrepreneurship spirits.
My car washer took me to the peripheral of the Lusaka City Market.
This was after I had asked him to take me to the tailor who could adjust my trousers that I had just bought.
The outside surrounding area of the city market is filled with people with small businesses of various types.
However, what attracted me most as I was having my trousers adjusted, was the video sound coming from the makeshift stand housing about 20 boys watching a violent movie.
When I asked the young woman who was adjusting my trousers she told me that the noise goes on from morning to sunset.
Here are the 20 strong young men who spend their time doing nothing but just watching violent films with their mindset being tuned to violent thinking that is recipe for indulging into vices.
Can this fit into free enterprise?
Entrepreneurship borders on change of mind-set and always one should think of how to survive economically out of the thickest of economic challenges.
However, as I drove home on Cairo Road heading towards Kabwe
Roundabout I counted more than 100 boys selling different kinds of merchandise ranging from t-shirts, snickers, photo album, mineral water, car dashboard cleaners, car mats and many others.
What is even more striking is the persuasive language they use to market and sell their goods.
Sometimes when you look at the merchandise admiringly it is like you are inviting trouble because even when you are not in the mood of buying an item from one of them you may be forced to do so.
This is so because the price of the commodity will fall from its set.
price to abnormally low price and very affordable for that matter!
One notable factor that can be adduced from the situation of adjusting prices in this fashion is the enticing of the customer by reading his or her mind that once the commodity is brought to affordable levels one cannot fail to buy.
These are part of entrepreneurial antics that we have alluded to already.
However, my point here is that these boys parade their entrepreneurial spirits of the will to survive and earn a living out of being creative and advancing boldness and commitment to ensure that before they go home, they should go with money to make them survive the economic hardship of not being employed.
Watching violent or pornographic videos by the youths promotes the mindsets that are not entrepreneurial in nature but laziness creating breeding grounds for vices such as stealing and prostitution, among
others.
Modern economic researchers have revealed that free business enterprise which can be also interpreted as entrepreneurship is the engine for economic growth especially in the third world countries
like Zambia,
Countries like Malaysia and Thailand to mention but a few, are already moving in that direction.
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