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Transforming townships into vibrant
economic hubs is at the core of a conference aimed at building
entrepreneurship.
THE first international conference on entrepreneurship
and small business development takes place at the University of Johannesburg's
Soweto Campus on 27 and 28 January, with the theme "Transforming townships into
economic powerhouses".
As a joint venture between the Centre for
Small Business Development (CSBD) and the Wits Business School's Centre for Entrepreneurship,
the conference aims to stimulate innovation and knowledge creation in townships.
Representatives from the City of
Johannesburg, the Soweto Business Chamber Commerce, local government and
universities will present papers alongside township business leaders and local
policy makers. Discussions will be a mix of what is currently happening, what
has worked and what could work in the future.
"Soweto spends about R12-billion a year and
only 24 percent [of this] circulates in the township. The conference
deliberations are expected to reveal strategies to increase this percentage and
reverse the leakage," says Thami Mazwai, the director of the CSBD.
Townships were built on the premise of
racial separation and to this day remain pockets of labour and poverty on the
fringes of cities. Turning these townships into vibrant economic hubs will
contribute to socio-economic development and political stability, and this has become
the challenge of the day.
Presentations at the conference will
revolve around a number of international and local research papers, with
international topics such as "Social entrepreneurship as a social force for
welfare and prosperity in social settings" and "Very small business and local
economic development". Local subjects will include topics like "The potential
in the informal sector" and "Barriers perceived and experienced by small, micro
and medium enterprises in Mamelodi".
Other papers will address women and youth
entrepreneurship.
A highlight of the conference will be the launching
of the Gauteng department of economic development's strategy for small business
and economic development.
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