The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) on Friday launched its small business hub (SBH) to assist in meeting the needs of small and microenterprises (SMEs) in Southern Africa.
The SBH would allow small businesses to contribute more to South Africa’s economic growth and job creation by providing cost-effective products and services that addressed the overall needs of SMEs, that were sector focused and related to SME categories. The SBH would identify sector and company specific challenges, monitor trends and develop specific interventions to improve SME performance.
These included accounting and advisory services, statutory compliance, information technology solutions, procurement of funding, broad-based black economic empowerment and cost-effective services from Seifsa divisions.
The SBH would also identify and enhance the functioning of SME support and offer industrial relations, economics and commercial, health and safety and skills development that was tailor-made to suit SME needs.
The SBH was created on the back of the National Development Plan’s proposal that 90% of employment opportunities be created by the SME sector by 2030. Seifsa commercial manager Mashirane Matheba said that the SBH, therefore, intended to ensure small businesses survived and grew over time.
Department of Small Business Development chief director Mojalefa Mohoto added: “We want to partner with Seifsa on this initiative and we call on other organisations to come on board and create initiatives such as this.
By: Sashnee Moodley
