The Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) on Tuesday launched a R6-million small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) Export Incubator, aimed at facilitating the growth of black-owned South African companies by building an export culture.

As part of the programme, the selected SMEs would receive office space and facilities on the first floor of the JCC Building, in Milpark, a three-year training programme, covering all aspects of exporting and general business management and guidance on product packaging and marketing.

Since the call for incubatees last year, the chamber along with financial partners Standard Bank and the GIZ has housed just over 15 incubatees and was looking to incorporate more SMEs, as the incubator was geared for 40.

JCCI president Advocate Fay Mukaddam explained at the launch that in its pilot test phase, the Export Incubator would provide mentoring by qualified personnel with extensive experience, as well as opportunities to attend chamber workshops on doing business in various countries.

She noted that the JCCI was looking for export-ready businesses and would, in its second phase, look to provide access to export promotion activities, such as participating in missions to foreign markets and in exhibitions.

Mukaddam added that the JCCI had not yet identified any markets, but would also focus on this in a later phase, along with focusing on offtake agreements.

“We are fairly confident that the programme will keep perpetuating, with new intakes every year,” Mukaddam added, noting that the JCCI would look at the progress made within six months to one year.

Also speaking at the event, Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies said that initiatives such as the Export Incubator increased the opportunities for intra-Africa trade, which was currently quite modest.

“Intra-regional trade on the continent is only about 12%, but in the EU it’s about 75%. As we address some infrastructure and capacity constraints, we expect that percentage to increase, which creates opportunities for everybody,” he told Engineering News Online.

Further, Davies highlighted that the opportunities for export were not just focused on the continent.

Standard Bank small enterprise head Ethel Nyembe added that the financial firm’s key interest was to see the incubatees graduate to more than a survival mode. “Through the mentorship, we allow the candidates to navigate the world of funding, credit and bank-speak that most business people fail at, so that these businesses don’t fall apart and [they] become successful,” she said.