The City of Johannesburg has announced that the Alexandra Opportunity Centre is currently open for business.
This is the fifth Opportunity Centre opened within the City, along with the Skills Centre opened in partnership with Discovery in Orange Farm.
MMC for Economic Development Leah Knott said that the development and support of SMMEs and entrepreneurs play a huge role in achieving economic growth with sustainable SMMEs contributing to a reduction in unemployment.
“Our coalition government has developed the Opportunity Centre model as a key game changer to effectively support small businesses and young entrepreneurs,” said Knott.
“We know that some of the biggest challenges facing our youth are a lack of jobs and real work opportunities, and as a government, we need to tackle these serious challenges.”
The MMC has called on residents to start their own business.
“We encourage residents to look at establishing their own businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of any economy and are key to real transformation.
“I always say that the government is not in the business of running a business. Government is about creating the enabling environment for business to thrive.”
This is reflected in the kind of services these opportunity centres provide. These include:
- Jobseekers portal
- General business information and advice
- Business assessments, gap analysis and development plans
- Business management training seminars, including financial literacy, marketing sales and operations management
- Tax and accounting advisory services, including company registration, tax compliance, financial advisory and auditing;
- Managed workshops, meeting rooms, Internet Wi-Fi services offered on a subsidised monthly fee and/or pay-per-use basic
- Funding facilitation including funding products awareness and application support
- Enterprise development services delivery points
- Partner services on-site and
- Assistance with City supplier database and compliance issues.
She added that the City has formed various business partnerships with associations such as the South Africa Revenue Service, CIPC, Innovation Hub, Productivity SA, Small Enterprise Development Agency, South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica), Absa, TUHF, GenAfrica, Discovery and Smart Procurement World who provide services free of charge to residents and the City.
The MMC has encouraged residents to visit the newly opened Alexandra Opportunity Centre at the Multi-purpose Centre on 8th Avenue.
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