The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms ElizabeThabethe says deliberations amongst SMME practitioners at the National Small Business Summit and resolutions that will be adopted at the end of the Summit will go a long way in assisting government enhance its enterprise development and support initiatives.
Deputy Minister Thabethe was speaking at the welcoming cocktail hosted by the Department of Trade Industry (the dti) for delegates who will be attending the Summit at the Ingwenyama Conference Centre taking place today and tomorrow.
“Our government believes in the capacity of our SMMEs to create jobs, grow the economy and eradicate poverty. That is the reason why all the threes spheres of government will continue supporting the SMME sector. We want to build thriving SMMEs in order to create a better South Africa for all.
We are not yet there because we believe this not an event but a journey,” said Thabethe. She urged delegates to spend the two days of the Summit debating about critical issues that affect small businesses in South Africa and come up with resolutions and recommendations that will take the country’s SMMEs forward.
“We would appreciate it if you could critique our enterprise development initiatives and tell us what is working and what is not working so that we can improve where necessary, for the benefit of the small enterprises. Growing the SMME sector is part of our New Growth Path, National Development Plan and Industrial Policy Action Plan,” said Thabethe.
MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in Mpumalanga, Ms Pinky Phosa said the timing of the summit was perfect as it came towards the end of a five-year period of the current administration.
“This means that delegates will have an opportunity to evaluate the impact of Government-wide small business programmes and joint interventions with the private sector. Inevitably, the output of this Summit should influence the policy review on the small business sector development for the incoming administration in 2014 to 2019,” said Ms Phosa. Deputy Minister Thabethe and MEC Phosa will both address the opening ceremony of the Summit today.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe, departmental spokesperson
Tel: 012 394 1650
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E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
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