BY OBAKENG MAJE
PHOKWANE Municipality held Local Economic Development Summit on last week at Thabang Centre Hall in Bonita-park.

This Summit encouraged entrepreneurs in the Phokwane region who contribute to the economy and create job opportunities.

Representatives from several organisations presented giving entrepreneurs information on how to access funding, how to improve their businesses and writing of business plans.

Entrepreneurs who attended had an opportunity to raise questions relating to their businesses and received advice and feedback from presenters.

Organisations that attended and gave information included National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Seta), Phokwane Local Municipality, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Phokwane municipality’s LED Manager, Boitumelo Koena said this is one of many initiatives that Local Economic Development has embarked on in order to improve the lives of entrepreneurs and assist them in growing their businesses.

“The summit was in partnership with the NYDA, ,SEDA, Economic Development and DTI that presented on the day. The main purpose of the information session was to bring young entrepreneurs and youth owned businesses and organisation whose mandate it is to develop young entrepreneurs together to create a platform for local youth to access the services provided by these organisations,” he said.

Koena said this is the Municipality’s endeavour to curb unemployment by mainstreaming youth businesses into the local economy.

Northern Cape Economic Development Department senior manager, Hendrik Louw said they came here to empower the people in Phokwane and encourages the youth to be part of economy growth.

“Youth empowerment is of paramount importance. We need to appreciates the youth and their development must make sure their change peculiarities around them.

“National development should be given a holistic approach, not just based on focus on certain sectors. An African proverb says ‘every hen was once an egg’, So we can not expect our youths to metamorphosize into heroic nationbuilders if they were never visionaries and patriots as youths,” Louw said.


He said they brought various stakeholders to shed more light on how to become successful entrepreneurs and nurturing the development of micro business persons is the third most important thing a nation can do (apart from take care of the populace and take care of the land).


“Youth Empowerment may be a misnomer. I agree with various stakeholders representatives that it is keying in on wisdom also. It is good to get youth involved in projects and movements, but as said below, without good leadership and planning, movements can fail. What is needed is a concept of teamwork with people of ALL ages participating in a worthy cause,” concludes Louw.

One of the micro business people was Sarah Ledwaba(62) who runs food garden in Ganspan.

Ledwaba said they appreciate the visit because most of the time they sometime do not know where to ask for help, but organisations like SEDA, DTI and NYDA come handy to help them establish their businesses.

“We highly-appreciate the visit of various stakeholders. My wish is to see them visiting us at our stalls and see the hardship we going through. We really need help and agriculture is they key factor here in Phokwane,” she said.

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