FIFTEEN small businesses drawn from across the Nelson Mandela metro graduated recently from a six-month Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC)/Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber (NMBBC) enterprise development programme.
Besides receiving a certificate during the graduation ceremony, graduates will receive a year’s free membership of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber. This entitles them to participate in the chamber’s events, such as coffee mornings, business breakfasts and various workshops, including soft skills training.
They will also be promoted through the chamber’s platforms. A total of 64 businesses from the metro have gone through the programme since its inception in the 2014/15 financial year. In the first year of the programme 31 enterprises participated in the programme, which has attracted just over R1 million in funding from the ECDC in the last four phases.
The programme was rolled out over a period of six months wherein enterprises were equipped in areas that included leadership, marketing and financial management. The training is conducted and assessed by the Nelson Mandela University Business School.
“The Business Chamber is thrilled about the Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) Graduation ceremony of the 4th Phase on February 15, 2018,” said NMBBC operations manager Prince Matonsi.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the ECDC for their exceptional partnership with us along the enterprise development journey from phase one until this fourth phase and the 2019 new revised phase.
“A special thank you to the programme’s other key partners, the Nelson Mandela University Business School and Tradelane – their commitment to seeing the programme through as well their support has been important to the success of this programme,”
ECDC senior manager for Enterprise Development Mpumi Fundam said the graduating businesses are involved in sectors such as information communication technology, professional services, construction and infrastructure development, beauty industry, human capital resources, events management as well as cleaning services.
“ECDC is excited to form part of this empowering programme which prioritises the competitiveness of businesses located in the Nelson Mandela Bay region. This programme equips small businesses from the region with the expertise and technical know-how to compete favourably with their global counterparts,” Fundam said.
Nemalili Vhutshilo, the founder of Quality Champions, a construction and SHEQ business said the programme has equipped his business with skills required in a competitive business environment.
“The skills and technical know-how received from the programme should definitely contribute to the success of Quality Champions. The programme has brought me new energy and I have no doubt I will become one of the success stories of the programme,” Vhutshilo said.
Matonsi said programme participants “showed unshakeable commitment and have done exceptionally well. Their commitment and diligence were evident throughout this phase of the enterprise development programme and as a result, we are looking forward and excited to embark on the fifth phase of the programme in April 2018”.