The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with the Gauteng Youth Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GYCCI), will host the Gauteng Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) Opportunities Expo, at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, from 24 to 26 June 2009. More than 30,000 visitors, over a period of three days, are expected to attend the first ever Gauteng hosted event of this nature, with specific focus on the construction, agriculture, tourism and Information Communication and Technology (ICT) sectors.
The initiative is an innovative concept to create economic access for youth owned enterprises. The Expo is specifically targeted at ensuring that all SMMEs have access to the same procurement opportunities, and that they have the necessary business support and advisory services required to fulfil their potential.
The Gauteng SMME Opportunities Expo provides the perfect platform for corporates and government to interact with potential suppliers, and for SMMEs to interact with companies and institutions with whom they wish to do business. It also seeks to facilitate SMMEs’ access to opportunities for commercial interaction with corporates, government, parastatals, state owned agencies and municipalities.
The Gauteng Expo will place particular emphasis on:
* establishing an SMME interactive framework
* reinforcing the role played by small business development and support agencies in continuously and consistently training and advising SMMEs on new business trends, opportunities and innovations, and
* careful monitoring, evaluation and recording, in order to facilitate replicability.
The dti Council of Trade and Industry Institutions (COTII) will be visible throughout the Expo, with workshops to be hosted by Khula Enterprise Finance Ltd (Khula), the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and National Empowerment Fund (NEF).
For more information, contact:
Sidwell Medupe
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 073 522 6801
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Trade and Industry
23 June 2009
Source: Department of Trade and Industry (http://www.dti.gov.za)
