Programme Director, Mr Ogone Ntwae

Distinguished guests

Members of the media

Entrepreneurship is a crucial component of any thriving economy. Entrepreneurs improve the standard of living by introducing innovative products and services; they bring social change; develop communities and create much-needed employment. Unemployment in South Africa, especially amongst the youth, is especially high yet the number of people starting their own business is very low when compared to other developing economies like ours. It is worth noting that the number of women starting their own businesses has increased primarily due to government support, yet the number of overall entrepreneurial activities is noticeably low as compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

As the fifth administration we have committed ourselves to radicalising, transforming, modernising and re-industrialising the Gauteng economy. In the Economic Plan that we have developed, there is a specific focus on revitalising the township economy through supporting the development of township enterprises, SMMEs and co-operatives that produce goods and services which meet the needs of the community. We want to develop the productive capacity of township enterprises. All spheres of the Gauteng government have been collaborating in the provision of training, funding, economic infrastructure and markets for township enterprises. On the 6th of October 2016, the Gauteng Department of Economic Development and the Gauteng Department of e-Government collaborated along with the private sector to host the first Gauteng eKasi ICT Summit. The main aim was to showcase diverse technological solutions to government, entrepreneurs and the private sector in order to assist with service delivery as well as accelerating the growth of township enterprises. It is important to highlight that people from townships and peri-urban centres that were historically excluded from fully participating in the mainstream economy now have access to support and development services. With the realisation of the Township Economic Revitalisation strategy, the township economy will soon be fully integrated into the mainstream economy of Gauteng City Region.

Programme Director

In the 2014 State of the Province Address (SOPA), Honourable Premier David Makhura made the following statement

“The significant participation and meaningful inclusion of the people of the township into the mainstream economy of Gauteng through their own township enterprises that are supported by the government and big business will be one of the key game changers.”

In an effort to create vibrant economic centres that are self-sufficient, the eKasi Labs programme was established in June 2014 during Youth month. eKasiLabs are business incubation programmes that provide support services for township entrepreneurs and are used as a vehicle to promote the culture of Innovation and entrepreneurship in the township.  The Innovation Hub in partnership with municipalities in different cities identified key sectors such as ICT, manufacturing and the green economy amongst others that address the twin policy imperatives of creating decent employment and greater economic industrialisation. The eKasi Lab programme speaks to the revitalisation of the township economy, with the first one being launched in Garankuwa, the idea being to “take innovation to our people”. By providing enterprise development and skills training, funding opportunities, market access, mentorship, office space and free Wi-Fi, the township economy is able to thrive and create entrepreneurs that are able to compete.

Due to the success of the first node, the Gauteng province saw the necessity to establish another one right here in Soweto. It gives us great pleasure to be here today to announce the official launch of eKasi Lab Soweto which was established in August 2015 in partnership with the City of Joburg. To date, there are 40 entrepreneurs who are currently part of eKasi Lab Soweto with 5 fully running businesses that have graduated into the next phase of The Innovation Hub’s programme, known as Maxum Core, after 6 months of operating. More than 200 entrepreneurs have been trained through initiatives such as boot camps and Start Up Weekends which help entrepreneurs refine their business concepts and create pitches that are acceptable to investors. Entrepreneurs participating in the programme have also been exposed to global entrepreneurship programmes such as the SeedStars Global Entrepreneurship competition which allows them to compete with their counterparts across the world. Recently, eKasi Lab Soweto has expanded to incorporate the Code Tribe Academy which is a skills development programme that has already trained 25 young people in skills such as software development as well as a Fab Lab programme that allows them to develop products through advanced manufacturing. Because of our focus on building an inclusive economy, we have established another eKasi Lab in Alexandra that will be launched soon with nodes in Tembisa, Mohlakeng and Sebokeng in the pipeline. Work is in progress to launch more of  these facilities namely eKasiLab -Vaal / Sebokeng, EkasiLab Mohlakeng, eKasiLab –Tembisa and  eKasiLab –Mamelodi.

Programme director

In the spirit of collaboration, we want to urge everyone in the private sector, municipalities and other stakeholders here today to engage each other and find sustainable ways to support this important initiative. We want to create enabling environments in Gauteng that make entrepreneurship an attractive journey to undertake which will in turn create decent employment and alleviate poverty.

In closing, let us continue to encourage innovation and research in order to build our economy and develop sustainable SMMEs that will create jobs and improve the lives of our people. I thank you.