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Yvonne Ncube/Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Reporters
THE dream is to become mightier than Forbes!

The award-winning African youth entrepreneurship business magazine, The Wheel, says its dream is to be bigger than Forbes, one of the world’s leading magazines.

Since its launch in May last year, the youth initiative has played a role in living up to its aim by promoting youths not only in Zimbabwe, but in Africa at large.

While many were locked up and hopeless in their homes during the first lockdown the young entrepreneurs Uratile Nare, Mbulelo Mpofu, Charity Nyoni (nee Ngwenya) and Patrick Ndowa came up with the initiative to bring back hope to the hopeless.

Charity Nyoni

“At that time people were struggling to advertise themselves and their services. Most had lost hope, so we decided to come to their rescue at that dire period,” said Uratile the director and chief designer of the magazine.

She said their main aim is to seek and present opportunities for other youths.

“We aim to be African’s number one leading business magazine. Aiming at granting youths as many opportunities by promoting and advertising. With our influence we pursue to link them to investors and sponsors who are subscribers of our monthly magazine. That’s why we ensure that our cover story is always a business executive, influencer or sports guru with opportunities for the youth.

“The dream is mightier than Forbes! It’s about time Africa rises too. We aim to have our own headquarters one day where we can have a studio, editing team and a powerful marketing team,” said Uratile.

Through partnerships with freelance content creators in Adept Siziba and Cynthia Mhuru, the magazine seeks to have a stronghold within the magazine industry.

She said their greatest achievement and motivation thus far is winning the Unicef challenge.

“We won the global Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge by Unicef, Plan International, Boost Fellowship, UNDP, Ministry of Youth Zimbabwe. This has been our greatest motivation to carry on. Youths from all over the country applied for it and we came second and we were recognised globally representing Zimbabwe. It was a huge competition and our greatest achievement yet,” she said.

The University students have recorded brisk revenue through advertising.

“We have an advertising fee for the youth we feature and we also rent advertising space on our magazine and website. All has been going well so far,” she said. — @SeehYvonne