Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe, will officially open the Eastern Cape Craft and Design Shop on Friday the 11th of November 2016 in East London.
The Department of Small Business Development has partnered with the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development, its agency the ECDC as well as the Department of Arts and Culture to ensure that the craft and design SMME’s have greater access to markets.
The Department of Small Business Development has been supporting the South African Lifestyle Hub, which is a permanent showroom in Atlanta in the US since 2014. The department has also been supporting the Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI) in the Western Cape to operate a craft and design shop at the Waterfront and there are plans for facilities like these in KZN, Gauteng and the North West.
These facilities were established to form part of a network of market access platforms to help increase access to both domestic and international markets.
The department through the CCDI also developed an E-Portal wherein all Craft and Design Enterprises can market and advertise their products. This portal will also be used by the Eastern Cape Store in addition to their website and online point of sale.
Deputy Minister Thabethe said “While small enterprises have the potential to generate economic growth, this does not always happen spontaneously. It is the task of a differentiated, sector-focused and growth-orientated small business-support strategy to address obstacles that prevent small enterprises from being successful.”
The event will be held as follows:
Date: Friday, 11 November 2016
Time: 9:00 -11:00
Venue: Shop No 2, Nahoon Shopping Centre, 83 Old Transkei Road, Nahoon, East London.
The launch of this store is one of the various interventions that the department hopes will help grow SMME’s and Cooperative’s share of the Global Creative Industries trade, starting with the domestic market.
Enquiries:
Noko Manyelo
Tel: 060 972 5221
Email: nmanyelo@dsbd.gov.za
