eKasiLabs, The Innovation Hub’s vehicle to promote the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Gauteng townships, recently hosted MEC for the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Parks Tau.
Also in attendance were other stakeholders involved in Township Economy Revitalisation. There was a panel discussion to promote the progress of the eKasiLabs programme and solutions to the problems faced by entrepreneurs in townships were discussed.
The event was also attended virtually by the CEO of Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, Saki Zamxaka who formed part of the panel discussions.
“The eKasiLabs programme was developed in support of the Gauteng Township Economy Revitalisation Strategy. It is focused not only on providing access to working infrastructure for township-based entrepreneurs but also offers a range of capacity development interventions such as business mentorship, technical skills training, networking opportunities and assistance to market access,” said CEO of The Innovation Hub, Pieter Holl.
Tau encouraged the public and private sectors to collaborate with township-based entrepreneurs, facilitating growth from micro, small and medium businesses to big, established businesses.
“I have a problem with the notion that when it comes to the township, it becomes micro, small or medium. The intention is not for the township entrepreneur to stay small. We want them to grow big. Township entrepreneurs should think beyond small,“ said Tau.
Tau said there are many opportunities for township entrepreneurs to be involved in large business processes. “Entrepreneurs should take advantage of the opportunities afforded to them. We need to move from just innovation to acceleration,” he added.
At the event, Tau and the panellists discussed challenges that South African entrepreneurs in townships face, such as scaling up of their businesses access to market and access to technology. Across the world, people with access to the internet and technology were able to adjust their lives when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. This was unfortunately not the case for most township entrepreneurs.
The panel discussion was dominated by the issue of including township entrepreneurs in the supply chain. “Our entrepreneurs do not have the history required to obtain state funding and they do not qualify for procurement processes, because of a lack of experience. Government and other agencies should look at these criteria for township entrepreneurs to ensure a fair playing field,” said Nothile Mpisi, GM of eKasiLabs.
Since 2014, 10 eKasiLabs have been set up across the five corridors of Gauteng through collaboration with various partners, including academic institutions and local government municipalities. Of all the eKasiLabs, the Soweto eKasiLab is the most developed incubation centre in terms of infrastructure, developed entrepreneurs and lucrative solutions to date.
eKasiLabs across Gauteng has created more than 635 jobs and recruited 565 entrepreneurs, with 147 of those entrepreneurs having innovations that are currently in the market.
“We are excited for what the future holds for eKasiLabs and the incubatees at The Innovation Hub. We strive to provide opportunities for our local township entrepreneurs, to help them flourish and grow into big enterprises”, concluded Holl.
