There will be an SMME Expo and Seminar in support of local economic development on 29 and 30 April,at the Multipurpose Centre in Joza in Grahamstown.
The one-and-a-half day event is being held by the Sarah Baartman District Municipality and hopes to attract about 200 people and showcase the municipalty’s potential.
The event seeks to create opportunities for entrepreneurs, business professionals, and municipal and community leaders in the District to showcase their services and network with each other, while linking companies, communities and projects with donors and government funders in order to secure partnerships and support to further develop their initiatives. The expo and seminar will focus on key economic drivers in the area, including agro-processing, tourism, BBBEE codes, IT incubation, renewable energy, financing of business ventures and social infrastructure development.
“The Sarah Baartman District has shown a growing capacity in recent years to overcome challenges, to build partnerships and to innovate, Municipal Manager, Ted Pillay, says. “There are many examples of this at local and regional level and a growing portfolio of initiatives has emerged that have the potential to make a major difference in creating jobs, promoting growth and improving quality of life. It is our intention to add impetus to this development as a result of the SMME Expo,”
Government departments and agencies will also be given a platform through which they can highlight relevant services and funding that they provide to assist SMME’s in the District.
Dignitaries such as the MEC for Economic Affairs, and the MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, have been invited to honour the event.
The event is made possible through support from the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) and the Makana Local Municipality.
If you wish to register to attend the Expo, kindly contact Yongama Madyibi on 041-508 7131, send email to ymadyibi@sbdm.co.za or visit http://www.sbdm.co.za to register. Registrations will close on the 24th of April 2015. Registration is free of charge. Attendance will be limited to 200 people.
(edited)
