“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” -- Plato
James Aucha loves this quote, as he believes it really encompasses the philosophy behind mentoring. A practicing Agripreneur, James is keen to support graduates to move from job seekers to job creators.
“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” -- Plato
James Aucha loves this quote, as he believes it really encompasses the philosophy behind mentoring. A practicing Agripreneur, James is keen to support graduates to move from job seekers to job creators.
James is a living example of how graduates can turn from being job seekers to successful employers. As CEO of Eco-Resources Development Group (EDG-7), a group of seven companies, James leads a dynamic team of managers of each of the companies and inspires them to meet their targets on a weekly basis. The decisive journey to this position started in 2009 when James was appointed to lead the agribusiness incubation programme at the African Network for Agriculture, Agro-forestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE). He amassed a lot of experience and skills, which he is ready to share through the YPARD mentoring program.
He is set to effectively apply the Social Science and expertise of his mentee to a life skill discipline he calls ‘Wallet Science’ for the transformation of not just the mentee, but Africa in a strategic pattern. Together with his mentee Alpha, they have set a target of revenue flow of at least USD 3,000 on a monthly basis at the end of the 12 months of mentorship.
Position | Chief Executive Officer, Eco-Resources Development Group (EDG-7) |
Country | Kenya |
Education | MSc in Natural Resource Management from Moi University (Kenya), BSc in Forestry from the same institute |
Mentee |
“There is great potential in agribusiness in Africa and the youth have no business complaining about unemployment but instead should be creating employment for others.”
As a proponent and firm believer in the idea that it is time for the youth in Africa to arise and use the knowledge economy to drive the economic development of Africa, James has packaged a buffet of incubation options that circumvent the myriad of challenges facing youth in breaking the ceiling to their investment potential.
He is excited to be a mentor as it gives him the opportunity to give his mentees the confidence and skills to pursue their dreams and aspirations. He expects to also learn from the interaction with fellow mentors and to become a better mentor at the end of the program.
He believes that mentorship has a significant role in improving the survival rates of start-ups in agribusiness. He believes all the young people have the potential to achieve and even surpass their dreams – all they need is a clear focus and a god business model that they need to keep tweaking to keep it at the cutting edge in this competitive world.