Launching the Step Up 2: A Start Up entrepreneurship programme in Johannesburg, on Wednesday night, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) director-general Lionel October challenged South Africa to “up the game” in growing entrepreneurship.
He noted that the initiative – a nationwide programme to teach high school learners how to start their own businesses – demonstrated government’s efforts to promote entrepreneurialism among the nation’s youth and aimed to inspire a culture of free enterprise and wealth creation earlier in the career-development process.
“We don’t need rocket science to turn our economy around and decrease unemployment. Strategies and interventions such as this have been developed and [government] is now in the processes of implementing them,” October commented.
Elaborating on other State-driven initiatives, he said the DTI had, to date, approved 42 incubators through the Incubation Support Programme which, launched in 2012, was aimed at encouraging the private sector to develop new enterprises by transferring skills to smaller enterprises and providing them with procurement opportunities in their specific value chains.
He further reiterated government’s commitment to the development of entrepreneurship, adding that the departments of Small Business Development and Basic Education would strengthen entrepreneurship curriculum in schools.