Partnership formed to benefit local informal traders
"We are moving them from that informal tag to formal tag and they can be able to compete with big outlets.”
The Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA) in collaboration with the Kenyan Zetech University and Wits University marked a significant milestone as they celebrated the successful culmination of their pioneering Informal Traders Exchange Programme.
The programme consisted of 111 participants who were empowered with essential business management skills focused on technology and innovation, immersed in Nairobi’s booming informal trade to drive the growth of the South African informal retail trade.
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Professor Alice Njuguna, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Zetech University said, “The impact of this programme is to make them realise that a spaza shop can grow into something big.
“We are moving them from that informal tag to formal tag and they can be able to compete with big outlets.”
Meanwhile the Wits Entrepreneurship Clinic (WEC) was excited to have been part of the team that delivered the training to the informal traders. It aligns with their vision of increasing entrepreneurial activity in South Africa through easing entrepreneurial entry and empowering individuals through skills.
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“Entrepreneurship extends beyond the walls of our campus. We are not only driving economic growth but also making a positive impact in our communities,” said Professor Fanny Saruchera, acting head of the Wits School of Business.
“I encourage South Africans to embrace the spirit of entrepreneurship because small businesses are actually big businesses.”
Amongst the 111 participants, was a group from Soweto who saw this programme as vehicle to grow and alleviate poverty from their community.
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According to Daniel Marman from Kliptown, it is high time they stop relying on the government to deliver them from poverty and unemployment.
Through this programme, they have decided to implement things for themselves and the government will meet them on the way.
“We have grown a lot from this programme and after the immersion in Kenya, everything just came to light. We know how to make record keeping for spaza shops and source for suppliers,” said Marman.
“I see connections throughout the provinces and I see us as employers who are on a journey to end hunger and alleviate poverty from our communities,” he added.
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The event did not only celebrate individual successes but also underscored the collective impact of collaboration and education in fostering sustainable growth and opportunity.
