Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/57469
The Business of Dreams by Sharon Shinn role as the CEO of the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, a government- backed organization that provides training and monetary assistance to South Africans between the ages of 18 and 35. Since the Fund was founded in 2001, it has disbursed millions of rand to microfinance entrepreneurs— and provided millions of hours of consulting services to hope- ful young businesspeople. Before joining the Fund, A sk Malose Kekana what is needed to lift a generation of South Africans out of poverty, and his poetic response is, "An all-encompassing infatuation with develop- ment." It's clear that that's what he has brought to his Kekana spent the first years of his career in the far different world of banking and finance. After earning a bachelor's of commerce degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Kekana completed stints at Stan- dard Bank and Rand Merchant Bank, which included handling the trading portfolio at the RMB's head office. He also received advanced training in finance through a course at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. In the late 1990s, his career took a different turn. He founded a private equity fund and two investment companies—some of which were already oriented toward youth empowerment initia- tives. For instance, his Baswa Investment Company was a youth investment group he founded to participate in South Africa's Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). He had found his calling. 18 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 The Umsobomvu Youth Fund is dedicated to funding and supporting small businesses for South Africa's impoverished younger generation. Malose Kekana runs the Fund—and nourishes big dreams.