The Small Enterprises Development Agency (Seda) today announced it will again host its annual Entrepreneur’s Day in all nine provinces in an effort to empower even more entrepreneurs with the resources they need to start or grow their businesses.
Entrepreneur’s Day 2011 will be hosted at venues across the country from October under the theme, ‘Integrating all support services to benefit the entrepreneurs.’
Together these events aim to provide pre start-up and start-up enterprises (operational for two years or less) with information and advice to either start or improve their businesses. These are the two SMME groups most vulnerable to failure and as such Entrepreneur’s Day aims to help them overcome one of the greatest challenges they face in the current market – access to information.
Visitors can expect to network with and receive advice on starting, running and registering a business; forming a cooperative; and accessing funding from a range of exhibiting SMME support institutions. These include government departments and agencies; banks and financial institutions; organised business and corporates; SETAs and SoE foundations. The events are free and open to all members of the public.
Seda CEO, Ms Hlonela Lupuwana, says that start-up enterprises are proving crucial for job creation and must be supported to grow and become sustainable. “The South African economy has lost jobs during the four quarters of the 2010/2011 financial year whilst on average, 27% of Seda assisted clients indicated an increase in number of people employed. This is important because Seda’s target clients during 2010/2011 were mostly survivalist and micro enterprises, who are not seen as employment creators. These are the same people targeted by Entrepreneur’s Day,” Lupuwana explains.
Entrepreneur’s Day has grown from strength to strength over the past few years. In 2009 the events attracted 3 488 potential and existing entrepreneurs, of which 82% were first-time attendees. In 2010 this figure was almost doubled with over 6000 entrepreneurs attending the events nationwide. Lupuwana says: “This can only mean that entrepreneurs are recognising the value of Entrepreneur’s Day. We expect huge growth again this year as entrepreneurs realise the importance of having the right information when venturing into business. This is our contribution to creating sustainable small businesses.”
2011 Entrepreneur’s Day schedule:
|
PROVINCE |
VENUE |
DATE |
ENQUIRIES |
|
Limpopo |
Lenyenye Stadium |
4 – 7 October 2011 |
015 297 4422 |
|
Mpumalanga |
Bushbuck Ridge |
3 November 2011 |
013 755 6046/7 |
|
KwaZulu Natal |
Ladysmith |
29 November 2011 |
031 277 9500 |
|
Newcastle |
7-9 November 2011 |
|
Pietermaritzburg |
30 November 2011 |
|
Ixopo |
February 2012 |
|
Port Shepstone |
26 October 2011 |
|
Western Cape |
Stellenbosch |
21 - 22 November 2011 |
021 415 1600 |
|
North West |
Ditsobotla Local Municipality - Lichtenburg |
30 November - 02 December 2011 |
014 592 9461 - Provincial Office
018 381 3915 - Ngaka Modiri Molema Branch |
|
Eastern Cape |
Ngcobo Local Municipality |
16 – 18 November 2011 |
043 721 1720 |
|
Free State |
Qwa Qwa |
16 - 17 November 2011 |
051 411 3820 |
|
Northern Cape |
Upington |
23 – 24 November 2011 |
053 839 5700 |
|
Gauteng |
Tshwane Centre |
25 November 2011 |
012 441 1166 |
ISSUED BY: Seda - Small Enterprise Development Agency
MEDIA ENQUIRIES TO: Lindokuhle Nkomonde – Manager: Corporate Communications and Media Relations
E-MAIL: lnkomonde@seda.org.za
TEL: 012 441 1210
Date: Monday, 03 October 2011